


Trailing Clouds

by Gerbilfriend



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Agender Character, Aromantic, Aromantic Character, Asexual Character, Culture & Customs, Depression, Fiore is the Fairy Tail of Earthland, Gen, I will get to canon characters, OC has anxiety, Oc is triple A, Self-Insert, Unreliable Narrator, and happy that way, characters to be added as they appear, in chapter 16, or canon character but more are coming!, other characters may be paired but SI/OC is a single person, watch the author try to myth, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2019-07-03 10:01:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 38
Words: 130,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15816639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gerbilfriend/pseuds/Gerbilfriend
Summary: "Not in entire forgetfulness, and not in utter nakedness, but trailing clouds of glory do we come," even if you don't want to. (Quote from William Wordsworth)OrJust because you are reborn in Earthland there is no guarantee that you will be related to a canon character or even (re)born in Fiore.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at posting a story. It will take a while for any canon characters to appear (but they will eventually!)

Gisela kicked the pool of water as she walked behind Chiosca and watched as the reflection twisted and scattered. _Oh well_ , Gisela thought, _it wasn’t right anyways_. Droplets of water sprayed through the air, sparkling slightly before splashing on the ground leaving small dark spots surrounding the rippling pool.

“Hurry up” Chiosca called sharply as she glared at Gisela, brows pulled together in annoyance, “if you hadn’t spent so much time at the library we wouldn’t be late for your brother’s first voyage. Honestly, I don’t know why you keep insisting on spending so much time-”.

Turning away from the slowling stilling puddle Gisela started to speed up.

The second Gisela caught back up to Chiosca she started walking again, striding rapidly down the street on the way to the harbor.

Gisela felt herself fade away as she distanced herself from Chiosca’s litany, it wasn’t anything she hadn’t heard before, “I’m sorry mother, I’ll-”

“Do better next time, just like you said the last five times this happened.” Gisela winced at the tone as she stopped looking into Chiosca’s green eyes and focused on the grey cobblestones beneath her feet once more. “I’m sorry but this isn’t working, no library trips for the next week”

Gisela jerked her head back up as she felt her heart sink in dismay, she couldn’t, “Ch-” seeing Chiosca’s eyes darken from their normal light green Gisela immediately corrected herself, “Mother, you can’t”.

“I can and I will”, seeing Gisela’s desperation Chiosca’s voice softened slightly. “I’m sorry Gisela but it can’t go on like this. We gave you permission to go to the library on your own because we thought you were mature enough to handle it but this is the fifth time I have had to fetch you. Until you show me you can be responsible you will be staying at the shop with me”.

Gisela knew the look in Chiosca’s eyes all too well, “alright Mother” she said quietly, biting her tongue lightly to keep the bitterness inside, _it wasn’t fair_ , she wanted to cry but nothing had been fair since she had gone to sleep on her first day of college in her brand new dorm room to-.

“Now come on, your siblings are getting back from their voyage and we are going to be there the welcome them home, your older sister is already there”, Chiosca said forcefully before grabbing Gisela’s hand in hers and speeding up, making Gisela walk faster or risk getting her arm wrenched in Chiosca’s iron grip.

Pulled along by Chiosca it wasn’t long before they made it through the market that divided the largest merchant’s district of Caelum from the wharf. There Gisela could see Ca’s lime green hair and white chiton she faced the horizon.

“You’re almost late Mom, Gisela” Ca said impatiently as she turned around, hands on her hips. Oh dear, Gisela thought as she walked alongside Chiosca, her hand still gripped in Chiosca’s iron grasp.

“Sorry Ca, someone” with that Chiosca gave a sharp shake to Gisela’s hand, “decided to camp out in the library instead”

Gisela looked down awkwardly before meeting Ca’s eyes.

“Really Gisela, your little siblings are coming back from their first voyage and all you can do is read. I know you like your books and all but you should have more respect- we’re family after all”.

Gisela was glad she was biting her tongue, it made it easier to hold back the instinctive no we’re not that she wanted to let out. She had a family, she had a family and they loved her and she loved them and the Raimu’s weren’t it. They weren’t.

Shaking her head Gisela breathed in deeply, she didn’t have time to collapse now- not in front of Ca and Chiosca. Who, she was relieved to note, had started to ignore her and talk about the clothing shop that was run by the family.

Gisela shifted on her aching feet, the leather sandals she wore didn’t provide much in the way of cushioning. Hoping to distract herself from her aching feet she raised her head to watch the horizon looking for the pale green sails of Lynoonse Raimu’s ship.

_There!_

As she squinted her eyes and raised her coffee (wrong wrong) colored hand to shade her face she could just make out the square sails of Lynoose’s ship in the distance. Just as she was about to say something she heard Ca yell “Look! There they are” as she pointed at the green dot on the horizon.

Ca seemed to bounce she was so excited, “They can’t see you yet” Chiosca said in a wry tone to her oldest daughter.

“I know I know” Ca said still almost bouncing on her feet before she lunged at Gisela and grabbed her free hand, “Look Gisela, even you should be happy, Dad’s coming home with our little siblings”

Gisela pulled her face into a passable smile, “Yea, Ca it will be great that they are back” she said, trying to keep her voice positive.

“I bet they will bring us gifts from Fiore with the cargo like they did when he got back from Minstrel, right mom? I know Fiore has all kinds of cool fabrics what with the magic and all. I heard from Erana that they even have one that can change colors!”, Ca said, her excitement audible in every syllable of the sentence.

“Ca” Chiosca said sharply, “we do not need magic to make our clothing better. We can adequately satisfy our customers without resorting to such means”

Ca seemed to wilt before Gisela’s eyes at Chiosca’s words and Gisela felt her heart lurch, magic, if there was one thing that enthralled her, that pulled her in despite everything it was magic.

No matter how much she wanted to rage and declare everything about this new life awful she couldn’t help it, magic was incredible and she wanted it, wanted to know it, to study it, to use it. So, naturally, her “family” thought it was nothing.

Even now Gisela felt an even stronger than normal bitterness pull at her heart when she heard them talk about magic like it was something normal, something mundane, something below them.

Gisela let herself sink back into her head even as she kept her eyes trained on the horizon, _there isn’t much on magic in the public library_ , she mused as she thought back to the basic texts she had been reading, _really they were more like books on the history of magic than on how to use it, I need a new plan... maybe if I could get into the temple library somehow…_ Gisela bit her lip in annoyance just as the thought came to her, _no that wouldn’t work, the temple libraries warded and only innates and above go in. Besides I’d have to justify why to the priests._ Shaking her head slightly, a tick she had kept from before, Gisela pulled herself away from that train of thoughts. It was annoying but right now she had no access to those books, she would have to make do with the ones she could find in the public library.

 _I’m not far along enough to need any advanced magic books either,_ Gisela admitted to herself grudgingly. Even with all the research that she was doing, magic was hard. _I guess there was a reason that even in Fiore, the magic capital of Earthland, only about ten percent of the population could use magic._

“Let’s head to the docks” Chiosca said as she started to walk, pulling Gisela along as Ca skipped alongside them.

As they continued down they dock to the spot that Lynoonse’s ship, the _Chiosca_ , would dock.

Gisela watched as Ca waved to the sailors busily tying down lines, loading and unloading goods or, doing other tasks of ship maintenance that Gisela couldn’t name.

Finally as they arrived at the Chiosca’s mooring point. Chiosca let go of Gisela’s hand in favor of waving at the incoming ship.

 _I should probably pay more attention in the lessons about ships,_ Gisela admitted to herself as she watched one of the sailors throw a rope out to pull the ship to the dock as another yelled indecipherable commands. _I really need to pay more attention, I’ve avoiding going on a trade voyage before but I don’t know how much longer I can play the “I don’t like sailing card” before Lynoosne gets impatient_.

Wood creaked as the gang plank came down steadily. Gisela watched as a tall man with green hair neatly tied back walked down the plank, followed by a brown haired girl and a green haired boy.

Gisela hung back as Chiosca and Ca ran forward. As Lynoonse reached the end of the gang plank he slowed reaching out his left hand to Chiosca who echoed the gesture, they clasped wrists before pulling into a hung as Ca, Maape and, Gastislion joined the huddle.

Gisela smiled slightly at the sight, _it’s been hard for Chiosca and Ca, espciallly since this was Gastislion’s first voyage. I’m glad they’re back together with their family._

The hug broke as Lynoonse gently detached from his wife and children and walked back up the gangplank, bellowing orders to his crew.

“Gisela it's time to go back to the house, Lynoonse will be back when he is done unloading” Chiosca said as she walked back over. _That’s impressive,_ Gisela thought as she looked at Chiosca, currently burdened with Gastislion somehow clinging to her back and Maape and Ca holding her hands.

“Right” Gisela said as she started to walk beside Ca who which chattering with Maape about what she had seen on the trip.

“- and then the wizard who tried to charm Dad was arrested by the other wizards, you know the ones in the fancy white uniforms” Maape said rapidly, gesturing with her one free hand.

“Charm dad?” Gisela couldn’t help but ask, surprise evident in her voice, _I thought charm magic was banned_ , and tried to call up a vague memory of some fake mage in the first chapter but found to her annoyance she couldn't name the mage, _I should have payed more attention to the manga. Honestly Gisela was proud of that fact that she realized she was in Fairy Tail at all. She had read the manga and enjoyed it but it had been awhile before-_

“Yeah” Maape said, the sound knocking Gisela free of her thoughts. Watching Ca’s face as she told her story Gisela could see the excitement in Ca’s face. Her eyes were wide as she waved her free hand dramatically. “The wizard was arrested like Wham!”, she said as she punched with her free hand, “‘cause charm magic is banned for all business transactions and the merchant was arrested so we changed suppliers”

“Just goes to show why you can’t let wizards run wild” Chiosca added in, “I’m glad that all magic users here are bound to the temple, its much safer for us that way then guilds”

Gisela felt herself wince, _I wish she didn’t have a point…_ she thought remembering all the havoc that Fairy Tail and Co got up too.

“I know mom” Ca said and Gisela rolled her eyes at how Ca drew out the “mom” to make her annoyance obvious, “anyway what was Hargeon like, other than the wizards?”

“Well they were really annoying cause no one spoke Caelum and they all wanted us to speak Common-Firoran which has all these annoying tenses so I'm glad we practice it a lot already, otherwise it would be a PAIN. They also have these words from the orient that they use every now and then that are stupid”, Maape took a quick breath before continuing to talk, “they also had these super cool lights that went on at night without fire- they were some type of lacrima apparently and we saw the trains come it, they’re SO BIG, it was awesome!” Maape swung her and Chiosca’s joined hands up for emphasis.

Maape’s enthusiasm was infections but more than that Gisela found herself fascinated with the differences between Caelum- where she now lived and Fiore both in culture and in customs.

Magic in Caelum was a quiet thing used by the temple of Qosasis, protector of outcasts and patron of mages, not loud and elevated like in Fiore.

 _Canon for Fairy Tail never did go into other countries or how they viewed magic, or how magic and religion intertwined,_ Gisela reminded herself as they walked to the elegant marble building decorated with carved waves and shells- the temple of Ubphine. As they approached Maape fell silent.

It was time for an offering.

Gisela, Chiosca and, Ca slowed as they came before the deep pool of water.

Maape dropped Chiosca’s hand and walked over, not skipping for once Gisela noticed with amusement, to grab Gastislion’s hand.

Gisela watched as Maape walked up to the pool, a small satchel that contained her offering in hand, Gastislion mimicking her.

“May we” she asked, solemn for once.

“You may” the attending priest said, her tone matching Maape’s.

And that was that. Maape and Gastislion dropped their satchels into to deep pool, clapped their hands and turned back.

Quietly they exited the temple grounds, none of them wanting the break the sense of solemnity.

The quiet was only shattered when they entered the market. Vendors were hawking their wares loudly as she passed with the group, and children ran about freely.

She felt sweat trickle down the back of her neck as they made their way back to the house.

She smiled slightly as they made in out of the merchants quarter and through the streets that led back to the house. It was quieter here, save for the others chatter, and cooler as well due to the trees that had been allowed to grow. It was, in her opinion, much better than the loud bustling merchants quarter.

“-Sela, Gisela”

She was jolted jolted out of her thoughts by Chiosca’s brisk, now slightly annoyed voice.

“What Mother?”, Gisela asked turning her head to meet Chiosca’s eyes.

“I hope you remember that you can not go galavanting off to the Library once we return home, understand?”

“Yes Mother” she said and Gisela could her the defeat obvious in her own voice.

“Really Gisela why are you so obsessed with the Library, it's just books” Ca said and Gisela could hear the eye roll in her voice.

“I like books” Gisela said sharply, before speeding up again. She could see the terracotta roof of their house up ahead. _It’s not like you would listen to what I have to say anyways…_ she thought as she let the conversation die off.

 _One, two, three_ , Gisela found herself counting the steps back to the house in her attempt to avoid the awkward tension her comment had made. _I did try,_ she reminded herself to try and stave off the guilt, _it's not my fault they wouldn’t listen_.

Gisela could have cried with relief as they arrived back at the house, as Chiosca was distracted with Ca and Gastislion’s packs she ducked off making her way through the courtyard into the kitchens.

As soon as she stepped into the kitchen Gisela felt something settle in her. For all that this was a different world with different plants or animals there were still sinks and ovens, still things to chop and things to mix. Cooking was good, cooking was familiar.

“Mind if I help with prep” Gisela asked as she craned her next to look up at the family cook as he turned around balancing a platter of cut up vegetables balanced on hand.

“I acquiesce, just permit me to deliver this to the lady and your siblings: I heard you all just arrived from the anchorage. If it pleases you then you could start preparing the hummus”

Gisela felt her lips quirk into a smile at his way of speaking- even if he was a little loud, “sure” she replied as she walked over to the counter.

She snared the small, wooden footstool with her ankle and pulled it over to her, _I hate being this short again_ , Gisela thought rebelliously as she hopped onto the stool with a small “hup”. From there is was easy to pull the bowl of precooked, presoaked chickpeas and the bowl from their skins over.

It was relaxing doing a repeated motion like pulling the skins off the chickpeas, it gave her time to think. _I know I’m never going home,_ she reminded herself bitterly, _but I can’t just let go._ She remembered the way that her entire world had felt scrambled as she slowly realized that things were wrong, the way the first sight of her pale brown hands had made her nauseous- they were proof that she wasn’t herself, proof that she didn’t want to see.

Before she had seen them she could pretend it was just a dream, that she was safe and warm in her bed and would wake up and start college.

 _It’s hard_ , she thought miserably, and it was, because if Gisela was honest with herself she didn’t want to move on. Ten years later and she still wanted the old life, not the new one.

Carefully deskining the last chickpea Gisela dropped it into the bowl of the mortar and pestle and started to turn around to grab the other ingredients.

“I present to you, tahini”

“Wha-” Gisela said, surprised by the sudden, and very loud, appearance of Mr. Cornwallis. Catching her balance on the counter she turned around fully to face him, _I’m still shorter than him, even on a stool._ “Sorry I didn’t see you come in, thanks” Gisela said as she took the stoneware jar from him, adding the sesame paste to the mortar and pestle

“The chickpeas had your full cynosure, I didn’t desire to disturb you.”

“Cynosure?” Gisela asked, quirking an eyebrow, “I haven't heard that one before”

“Ah” he said and Gisela could hear the grand gesture in his voice, “your focus, m’lady”

“Thanks”

The rest of the time in the kitchen passed similarly, Gisela helped to chop vegetables and knead bread. It was a good way to pass an afternoon, peaceful in a way Gisela rarely managed. By the time that Gisela left the kitchen she was in a much calmer mood.

Gisela quickly glanced her face wiping off the flour that was smeared on her cheek before looking away not wanting to spend much time looking at herself.

Pushing open the door to the courtyard Gisela slipped outside, it was still hot out but it wasn’t the heavy, humid heat of earlier in the day.

Walking over to the stone bench in a shady nook Gisela sat down.

_I can’t go to the library now but literally anything about magic involves meditation in anything I’ve ever seen or read, Before or now, so time find out about if there is any truth in television._

Gisela let her body relax as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the rough stone wall.

_In…_

_She stopped thinking about the library_

_Out…_

_She stopped feeling the heat of the late afternoon_

_In…_

_She stopped smelling the freshly baked bread_

_Out…_

_She stopped hearing the rustling of the wind_

_In…_

_She stopped._

_It was peaceful, calm and clear as she floated motionless and relaxed. She stopped trying to feel and just felt stretching out to the world inside her blindly, freely… reaching, pulling anything._

_Nothing._

_Then… something._

She blinked rapidly as her eyes stung upon opening them, rubbing away the tears that had formed Gisela opened her eyes for a second time.

“-ner time, dinner time”

 _That was what disturbed me,_ Gisela realized as she pushed off the bench, her muscles screaming at the sudden movement after being still for so long. _Note to self, find good stretches: mediation hurts_.

“I’m coming” Gisela yelled and she limped back inside to the dining room.

She carefully leveraged herself down onto the bench, _I’m glad I sit on the end of the bench_ , she thought relieved as she tried to shift into a position that was easy on her cramping muscles.

“Gisela’s here, are we going to start eating now mom?” Maape asked as she looked hungrily at the food.

Gisela had to admit, the food smelled wonderful.

We might as well, sometimes it takes your dad awhile to wrap up after a trip and-”

Chiosca hadn’t even finished what she was saying before Maape had grabbed the plate of stuffed vegetables and started serving herself.

Gisela turned her attention to the food, “when your done pass me the vegetables please.”, she asked Maape. _I didn’t realize how hungry I was, I need to be better about eating._ Gisela finished as Ca and Maape started getting into a heated debate about the cost of linen vs the expense of importing or farming. Chiosca had been dragged in and was trying to referee for the debaters.

 _I never realized just how big a deal linen prices could be_ , Gisela mused as she quietly got up and left with only Gastislion noticing her. He winked mischievously before going back to watching the feuding sisters.

Gisela covered a yawn as she stood in the darkened hallway. _I think it’s time for me to go to bed, I just hope that Ca and Maape don’t wake me up when they come in..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still no canon characters but you do get more world building and Gisela attempting to be social. That's good, right? Also this is the longest thing that I have ever written so pretty proud of that :)

It was time, Gisela took a deep breath as she steeled herself for the hours to come, for the suffering to come. There was no escape, she couldn't run, couldn’t hide, there was nothing she could do but go through it. 

It was Time For School. 

_Why did Chiosca decided to spring this on me_ , Gisela thought, annoyed. _Maape and Gastislion have private tutors and Ca doesn’t go at all. Why do I have to…_

She kicked a stray pebble lying on the cobblestone path in annoyance as they walked back to the school house and watched it skip away, eventually rolling out of sight. _I thought she would still be busy with Gastislion and Maape, she was fine ignoring me before but no I have to go to school and not just any school, elementary school, or close enough it doesn’t matter. I was done with elementary school fifteen years ago, going by cumulative age. I don’t want to do it again!_

She allowed herself one last yearning look at the Library as they passed, _still banned from there_ , she thought with wistful bitterness she face ahead as they headed to the school building, _only a little longer_ … before refocusing on her most recent grievance. 

_I wish she didn’t just dump it on me too_ , Gisela thought sulkily, remembering back to the conversation last friday. _She was all all, “oh Gisela you’ve outgrown the tutors and running off to the library all the time really needs to stop so I talked to your father and he agreed. We are enrolling you in your father’s old school, isn’t that great!”,_ and nothing Gisela had said had been able to sway them. 

She had tried, dragging her feet when they took her to talk to the headmaster, hinting and, outright telling that she did not want to go, that she wanted to stay at home and help out but no that was, “below your stature as a Raimu” and, “not your responsibility”. They had made it clear that if she wasn’t going to be learning a trade by sailing with her father or by working with her mother in the shop, _not that I get out of that anyways,_ she thought bitterly. No, if she wasn’t doing either off those than she would be Going To School.

 _Nowhere to go but though,_ Gisela reminded herself as the prison like walls of the school house approached. She felt a leaden weight grow in her stomach.

Despite her determined thoughts entering the whitewashed walls that surrounded the grounds of the school house alongside Chiosca was, in a word, uncomfortable. She had been about to go to school Before, just not this one and the comparisons it brought up hurt.

 _I guess I should have expected this_ , Gisela thought as she reflected on the last few days.

She had spent the past few days sleeping without her sheets, the warmth that she usually loved feeling smothering. Looking back now she realized why, the cold was a reassurance she was still here, that she hadn’t been uprooted once more, that she hadn’t drifted away from yet another life. 

Even now she vividly remembered the pure relief that she had felt upon waking up to the familiar sounds of Ca and Maape sleeping, proof that she hadn’t been reborn once more. _I can’t go through this again, I can’t._

“-now be good Gisela, I trust you can find your way back home when the day is done”, pulled out of her thoughts by Chiosca, Gisela focused back on the physical world walking through the school compound. 

“Yes Mother, don’t worry” Gisela said, attempting to make her voice sound reassuring, _I can’t think of that now, no matter how much I want to._

“Do you want me to walk you in?”

“No I’ll be fine” Gisela said with her best cheerful grin.

Chiosca seemed to dither for second before straightening, “Right, well I will see you at home.”. The smile dropped from her face and with a warning expression she finished with, “no detours alright”

 _There goes that idea_ , Gisela thought a bit regretfully. “Yes mother” she said obediently, _no point in antagonizing her now._

Not looking back to see if her mother was still watching or not Gisela walked through the courtyard, it was a dry, dusty expanse- likely worn down by many children playing on it throughout the years. She could see two boards upright with holes cut out of them, they look kinda like basketball hoops, she realized, her amusement slightly tinged with sadness as well as a few wooden tables with connected benches. 

Passing though the rest of the courtyard she arrived at the main building. _No use in dallying now_ , Gisela thought to herself sternly as she entered the building. Thinking back to when Chiosca had brought her in to meet her teacher and have her shown around _hummm, let’s see, when I talked to Mr. Gastra he said he would be… ah ha! ___

__Walking up to the door that had been pointed out to her over the weekend Gisela opened the door._ _

__Entering the room Gisela glanced at the tall bookcases that cover the walls, fighting the impulse to go over and start inspecting the titles. Pulling her eyes away from the temptation of new books she refocused on the desk in the center of the cluttered office._ _

__Hunched over the desk writing on a partly rolled up parchment Gisela could see the shiny, pale and, very bald head of the headmaster, Samhed Gastra, Gisela thought she remembered Chiosca telling her before. He was hard at work writing with an elegant black stylus clasped in his right hand._ _

__“Hello” Gisela said quietly, _I hope I came to the right place, she worried. She had been so sure before but now…__ _

__Right before she was going to call out again his head shot up and she found herself staring into a pair of pale eyes. Meeting them Gisela was reminded yet again of how odd this world was. The eyes staring back at her had an iris that was such a pale grey that it was almost impossible to make out from the white._ _

__“Hello there, Gisela” He said warmly as he carefully got up from his cluttered desk and deftly danced around the books that Gisela could see lying around his feet in an impressive display of agility. “I’m glad you made it, though I see you dodged your mother, do try to be considerate of her feelings. It is hard for parents when their children grow up”_ _

__“Yes headmaster” Gisela said flatly._ _

__“Right well I assume you are ready for class?”. Not waiting for Gisela to respond he kept talking, “right well come along then”. Sliding neatly around Gisela he started to walk down the hallway, not looking to her was following._ _

__“As you know we put you with Instructor Slanfo as her class was the smallest. I’m sure you will have a great time,” he said cheerfully as they walked back down the hallway._ _

__Stopping at a closed door he turned around, “wait here for a second”. As he opened the door Gisela attempted to glance over his shoulder into the classroom but the Headmaster was to quick and all she saw were some desks and heads. I hope school here isn’t too boring, Gisela thought as she stared out the hallway window. The glass panes, lacking the warps and bubbles of cheaper glass, showed the wealth of this school house, as did the airy construction of the building._ _

__As she waited Gisela tapped her foot, she had just decided to peak into the classroom when the headmaster came out. He was accompanied by an woman that she assumed was Instructor Slanfo. She had deep bronze skin and dark green hair in a braid over her shoulder. Her chiton was neat and an elegant, if unusual, shade of light grey._ _

__Her copper eyes were warm as she turned to Gisela, “Hello Gisela, it's good to meet you. I’m sorry for the wait, your enrollment was a bit of a surprise but we are thrilled to have you. Come on in, I will introduce you to your classmates”_ _

__“And I will be heading back to the my office, I wish you well Gisela” Headmaster Gastra said as he turned away walking briskly._ _

__For a few seconds Gisela stood and watched the headmasters back as it receded down the hallway, “Right well come along Gisela, lets head to the front so you can introduce yourself to the class” the instructor said briskly as she opened the door, ushering Gisela in._ _

___I’m surprisingly… underwhelmed,_ Gisela thought as she walked to the front of the room. The classroom was small but it didn’t feel close due to the equally small number of desks in the room. _ _

__As she focused on the front Gisela saw a blackboard, _I guess somethings are multiversal,_ Gisela thought slightly amused._ _

__Following the instructor’s instructions Gisela walked up to the board to stand beside her._ _

__“Class” she called out, clapping her hands sharply to get the attention of the chatting students, “I would like to introduce our newest member, Gisela Raimu” turning again to look at Gisela she said, “introduce yourself please”._ _

___I knew this was coming,_ Gisela thought miserably, _I knew it._ Forcing a smile on to her face she faced the class, “Hi, I’m Gisela Raimu, I hope we can get along”._ _

__There was an awkward silence for a moment after Gisela’s brisk introduction,_ I have the feeling I was supposed to say more_ Gisela realized awkwardly. _Then again, what else is there to say, “Hi I’m Gisela and I remember my past life and am now living in a world of fiction…not happening._

The silence lingered for a few more moments before Instructor Slanfo clapped her hands briskly, “right well why don’t you sit next to Erani, she had the middle desk. Just take the empty spot”

 _Let's do this,_ Gisela thought to herself forcefully as she pulled out the chair next to the dark green haired girl and sat down, putting her bag next to her.

Taking a few seconds to settle her stuff Gisela looked back up just as the instructor started talking again, “now I know we have a new student but that is no reason to slack off, you can talk more at lunch.” Turning to face the board she picked up a piece of chalk, “So today well will start by with math-”.

“Yes”, Gisela turned her head at the quiet exclamation, _glad I’m not the only one who likes numbers even if it is going to be something easy like times tables,_ before switching her attention back the instructor. 

“-and then aftermath we will break for lunch before working on Common, both Fioran and Minstralian” 

_That will be useful,_ Gisela thought as the weight in her stomach seemed to lighten a bit.

“-we were reviewing their cultural practices last class”. 

As Instructor Slanfo talked she wrote out the plans on the board, outlining a checklist for the day.

“- and we will finish up by going by into grammar. If we have any extra time once we finish that we can take a look at some of the unique dialects. After that it's another break before we finish going over the Strait Wars” she said, writing the last letter on the board with a flourish of her chalk. 

Turning to face the class she clapped her hands. Gisela saw one of her classmates, a girl with shimmery grey hair, jolt up, _guess I’m not the only one who zones out_.

“Right, now everyone get out your tablets, lets see how much you remember from last class” 

Watching what her seatmate, Eranye? Erauna? something, like that Gisela mimicked her, pulling open the drawer in her desk and pulling out a board. Carefully she unfolded the book like contraption, just catching the stylus before it feel out of her grasp and on to the floor. _That would have been a great first impression_ , came Gisela’s relived thought as she put the open tablet on her desk. _Okay, at least I can go at my own pace here, that is better than it could be. Positivity._ She quirked her lips at her old mantra, even as she felt the pangs of loss shot through her body at the familiar saying.

 _Better keep working_ , she reminded herself and got back to writing.

While working out her times table she couldn’t help but glance at her seatmate again, curious to see how she was doing. _I need to figure out the pacing of this class, I don’t want to be singled out._ Looking at the impressions in the wax saw she was on the sixes. _Okay I'm good there_ , she noted and was just about to look back when… “It’s forty eight” she whispered sharply, “six times eight is forty eight” 

“Thanks” came the quiet reply as the other girl smoothed out the forty six that she had written on the board and quickly replaced.

 _I probably shouldn’t have done that,_ Gisela thought, embarrassed, _why I am so pedantic sometimes…_

Keeping an eye on how the pace the rest of the class was keeping Gisela slowly wrote out the rest of the table, she was just miswriting eleven times twelve as one hundred and thirty six when, “it's one thirty two, the answer your off by three”

“Thanks” Gisela whispered back as she fixed her “error”, _well there goes that error… oh well. It was nice of Erina? to tell me._

 _Anddd done!_ Gisela cheered mentally as she finished writing out the twelves. Putting down her stylus she glanced around the room, _and I timed it just right too!_ As she glanced around the room again she could see that everyone except for the brilliantly orange haired boy a desk over was done.

Gisela watched as Instructor Slanfo checked the tables of the two other girls before moving onto her table. As she picked up Gisela’s tablet her eyes arched up in surprise, “very good, I see you mixed up your sevens a bit but other than that it's perfect. Good job!”. She flashed Gisela a quick smile she moved on to seatmate.

Once her scrutiny had fallen off Gisela she started carefully scraping the wax flat, erasing the tables. _One problem down,_ she thought as she started to doodlet. _Mom used to tell me not to do that,_ she thought sadly as she smoothed the spiral down too. 

The rest of the class continued in that vein, Instructor Slanfo wrote out the sets that had been missed and went over tricks for how to remember them better before diving into an explanation of multiplication with more than one digit.

 _And now we're back to our regularly scheduled boredom,_ Gisela proclaimed, her mental voice heavy with bitterness. _Before I was the one teaching this to my neighbor, now I have to “learn it” all over again. I hope my natural affinity for embarrassing mistakes in math class has carried over into this life I don’t know how well I can hide that I already-_ poke. 

“What,” Gisela whispered harshly as annoying-seatmate poked her again.

“Pay attention” she shot back, “I don’t want to have to explain this to you later”

Gisela huffed and started to shoot back, “I-” 

“If you would both pay attention I am trying to teach here”. At the sharp comment Gisela swung her focus back to the board, back still hot with embarrassment. 

Not wanting to get pointed out for zoning out again Gisela did her best to focus on what the instructor was saying, ignoring the occasional prickle of someone staring at her. 

_I wish there was a clock here,_ Gisela thought wistfully as she glanced around the room, _I fail at sun time telling…_ focus Gisela. She mentally kicked herself for allowing her attention to drift again. _Don’t want to be poked again._

 _Finally!_ After what felt like an eternity of sitting in a hard wood chair and getting the basics reexplained. It was time for break. Time to make a break for break, she punned to herself as she got up and attempted to make her planed escape. 

_“Gisela could you please stay a moment?” Instructor Slanfo requested politely._

_What would happen if I said no?_ Gisela wondered wistfully for a second before turning around, _goodbye freedom..._

Making her away around the pushed out chairs and the two bags left on the floor, in perfect tripping position of course, she made it backup to the front.

“Sure” she said biting back her snarky retort, _not the time Gisela_ , “what do you need?”

“I just wanted to check in, I know this is your first day of school and as your teacher it is important that I ensure you are getting what you need” the instructor said, one of her hands on her hip while she gesticulate with the other.

“I’m fine so far just” Gisela groaned awkwardly, “um can I asked you a question?”. Not waiting for a reply Gisela barreled on, “my seatmate, whats her name I totally spaced and it's not fair to her, names are important”.

“your seatmate is Erani Dafilne and”, Gisela saw her eyes light up with mischief, “I am glad to see you two are getting along already” 

Gisela felt her cheeks heat up, _I guess we weren’t as stealthy as I thought, even with the fact that we got scolded once…_ Shifting awkwardly Gisela forced herself to meet the still sparkling eyes of her instructor, “can I go now?”

“Yes, yes you may go. Have a good lunch”. Gisela could hear her chuckles as she attempted to control her dash out of the room. 

_FREEDOM!_

Speed walking Gisela passed by the other wooden doors, I wonder how many other classes there are… she pondered, I know this class has been together for the past three or so months and it was my age so there is likely one for every year up to sixteen or so but what if they do upper education for people who aren’t joining a trade. Also there is no rule that there can’t be more than one class per year, I was put in “the smallest class” which could have been a weird way to say younger or there could be another class… 

Distracted by her thoughts Gisela was not paying attention as she walked out into the courtyard, blinking her eyes at the sudden onslaught of bright light as she mechanically opened the door that led out she was about to look for a place to sit when she heard, “Hey new girl, come sit with us” shouted at her from somewhere. 

Shading her eyes from the sun Gisla glanced around looking for the source of the voice, “Over here”. This time she was waiting for the yell and saw the wooden table next to the wall, “Come on, don’t want to miss you lunch do you” came the voice once more, this time a little teasing.

“I’m coming” Gisela shouted back as she darted over to the table. As her eyesight cleared she could see her classmates were already sitting with their lunches in front of them. 

Taking a seat next to Erani Gisela opened her leather lunch bag to pull out her pita as she looked at the other people. 

“Can I ask what your names are?” Gisela asked, pausing to take a bite of her sandwich, “I know you’re Erani” as she said that she gestured to the jade haired girl, “and you all know I’m Gisela but what are your names?” 

 

“I’m Micklen” said the boy with beady orange eyes and mid length grey hair, “nice to meet you, I sit next to Sairen” he said and pointed to a girl with hair in a complicated updo, she seemed completely focused on the book in her hand. _Lucky her,_ Gisela thought, a little jealous. Just as Gisela was about to look at the next person she saw Micklen poke her lighting fast.

“Heya what he said” Sairen said not even looking up from her book.

“That’s Sai for ya” the final boy on the other side of the bench said. He had a friendly grin and his hooded sky-blue eyes seemed to dance with silent laughter as he pushed his beige, _finally someone with a normal color,_ hair out of the way. “Anyways I’m Fenlo, its good to have someone new in the class, I bet you were getting lonely sitting all by yourself Erani”

“Not really, but it will be good to have an even number” Erani said dismissively. 

“True, I’m Cierra” the final person on her side of the table said, laughter obvious in her voice. “It will be nice to have someone else for games, we finally have even numbers”

“As long as it's not wrestling” the beige haired boy, Fenlo, yeah I know it’s Fenlo, said sulkily.

“Not everything's ‘bout wrestling Fen” Erani retorted.

“What do you have against wrestling?”, Gisela couldn’t help but ask, _I have the feeling this is an old debate..._

“It’s boring” he replied flatly, not bothering to explain any futher.

 _Well that’s fair,_ “I can give you that” Gisela said, _if I’m stuck here I might as well talk_ , “what do you like then?” 

“Reading, I had a book on the Second Trade war and its results but somebody”, here he gestured at the girl with her nose buried in a book, “saw me reading it before class and stole it”

“The Second Trade War?” Gisela asked, her interest perked, “Can I borrow it next?”, _that sounds really interesting even if it is most likely a fictional story set during the war_.

“Uhg” Cieren, no Cierra said rolling her eyes, “two is enough, don’t tell me you’re a bookworm too”

“Sorry” Gisela said trying to keep her amusement out of her voice, “I got sent here cause I kept going to the library to read. Anyways have you guys done much on the Strait Wars yet, I’ve read a bit but I don’t want to be left behind” _and this history of this world is a lot more fun than the math. I don’t already know it for one._

“I wouldn’t worry” Erani chimed in, “we just started and you seemed to be fine at math, thanks for the help by the way. I always miss that one”

“No problem” Gisela replied, “warning, I’m not much good at grammar so I might not be much help there” 

“Your family does trade though” Erani shot back.

Gisela felt her eyes widen with surprise, “how do you know that,” she asked, shocked.

“Your last names Raimu and my mom was complaining about the prices of your linen all last week.”

“Oh”, Gisela said, _the linen is brought up again_ , “but what does that have to do with me being able to speak Common”, _I am alright other than grammar but how did she know that…_

“You speak it at home right? I heard from temple gossip that traders teach their children from birth”

“You’re right, you’re right” Gisela said waving her hands in a display of submission, “I can’t help but ask, what’s temple gossip like”

“It's really interesting and if everyone’s gonna talk like I’m not there I might as well get information off it” Erenai replied.

“True” Cierra agreed, “so you will be helpful, unlike somebody” she said as she elbowed Micklen.

“I said I was sorry” 

“You got me to say that Instructor Slanfo was a nice carrot on the last paragraph.”

“You were the one that miswrote that not me” retorted Cierra, rolling her eyes.

“I asked you for help, hey Fen what do you think” 

“I’m staying out of this one” Fenlo replied. Gisela could see him shifting awkwardly, _I don’t think he wants to get involved. He probably has the right idea._

“Fen you are not getting out of it this time, right Micklen” 

“True” 

_I’m glad they’re not focused one me,_ Gisela thought as she took a final bite of her sandwiches, _kids they might be but they are intense._

Gisela quirked her eyes brows up as Fenlo glanced at her, his eyes pleading for a rescue. _I should probably help but this is way more amusing than I thought it would be…_

“Break times over, it's time to come back it”

Fenlo practically flew as he grabbed his bag, “right it’s time to go in letsgo” he said his words joining together in his haste. Just like that he was up and halfway to the door, Micklen and Cierra following. 

“Right well, Sairen, time to put the book down” Erani said as she tapped the small book, blocking the words from Sairen’s view.

The other girl looked up. She glared at the offending arm before huffing and grabbing her bag, “lets go”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Gisela continues to attempt to be social and (possibly) succeeds.

_ I am never doing this again.  _ The rhythmic thudding of Gisela’s brain was a reminder of why she hated grammer. 

 

The more she puzzled over the whys of how she knew where one word should go the worse it got. She had tried to help Erani but the more she thought about the subject verb object vs object subject verb the more her head rejected.

 

_ At least we finished the active part of the lesson-  _ it was a small thing to be grateful for but it was something to hold onto as she tried to ignore the raging pain in her head. 

 

Feeling her head start to sag down, Gisela leaned on one arm and closed her eyes trying for some relief. 

 

_ Why do I get such awful headaches,  _ she griped to herself as she massaged her temple. As she stared at the board. As she ignored her instructors scribbled notes she felt the heat tighten against her, almost like a living thing. A stabbing pain started to form in her eyes.

 

_ Not much longer.  _ Gisela focused on that thought, it had been her anchor since half way through the breaking down of subject order in common vs Caelum. J _ ust stop please.  _ She begged herself desperately as she clenched her fist, the sharp pain of her nails biting into her hand buying her temporary relief from the constant pounding of her head.

 

Taking advantage of the momentary break in her suffering Gisela glared at the board, scanning the grammar.  It made sense individually but when it was put together she ended up with gibberish- again,  _ and now my eyes hurt more, great  _ came the bitter thought.

 

_ Focus Gisela!  _ She commanded herself sharply as she narrowed her eyes. Slowly the white squiggles grew back into letters.  _ So glad that Common isn’t pictographic, my headache would be even worse than. Class better be over soon, I can’t take this much longer. _

 

As if in answer to Gisela’s fervent prayers Instructor Slanfo put the chalk back down, “and we will stop there class” she said as she turned from the chalkboard, “make sure to practice your past tense, I know its hard but Common is important to all our trading partners. I hope you all have a good day and see you tomorrow!”

 

The second that the instructor signaled it was time to leave the classroom Gisela sprinted out, desperate to be free of the stuffy room. 

 

She walked as briskly as she possibly could down the hall and dashed out the door, savoring the breeze that she felt as she exited it building. The cool air was bliss on her aching head.

 

_ Time to go back to the house,  _ she reiterated for herself and she ran down the streets, dodging around the other pedestrians. 

 

“Sorry”.  _ I hope they’re not to mad.  _ Glad that she hadn’t managed to knock the person over, Gisela continued her quest.

 

_ Finally.  _

 

Pushing open the door Gisela passed over the kitchen, waving quickly as she passed, and slipped into the cool, dark bliss of her bedroom. 

 

The windows were open and a breeze raced through it, cooling her brow as she lay down on her bed, sheets thrown akimbo. 

 

_ Inhale _ . Pulling air in she felt her stomach rise, the odd sensation of not quite pain that came from filling her lungs with air past the breaking point. She held her breath there, balanced on the breaking point steady on the thin line.

 

_ Exhale.  _ The tension was freed from Gisela with one shuddering breath as she let go of all the air she had trapped. She breathed out until the tension of too much air was replaced with the tension of to little air.

 

The heat still hung in a heavy haze but as Gisela breathed she became less aware of the constant pressure pounding on her skull. 

 

The stabbing in her eyes faded too in the darkened room as she lay there, savoring the blessed silence. 

 

She was floating in warmth, half conscious she lay there limp and relaxed. She didn’t have to move, to see, to think. It was relaxing, distant from everything. It felt… familiar? 

 

_ No! _

 

Gisela shot up violently throwing off the sheet as she tumbled out of her bed and onto the hard, cold floor. Panting wildly Gisela ran into the bathroom. She hesitated for a moment before looking at the mirror. Staring at her green eyes Gisela felt her pulse slow,  _ I’m still me,  _ she thought, relief flooding her body.

 

“What are you doing here Gisela”. The sharp tone knocked her out of her reverie.

 

_ Uh-oh. _

 

Gisela turned around as blood rushed to her, thank goodness she was still her and not someone else, check’s.

 

_ Please say that I didn’t,  _ she begged to any deity listening as she turned, taking in the pursed lips and squinching eyebrows of her older sister, Ca. 

 

_ I did. _

 

_ Opps.  _ “Sorry Ca, I’ll just be leaving now” Gisela said as she tried to siddle out of the bathroom she shared with her sisters. 

 

“Honestly Gisela you need to pay more attention, your lucky I had just walked into the room. What if I had be using the toilet or something” 

 

“Sorry Ca, I was distracted” 

 

“I’ll  say” Ca rolled her eyes as she tossed her hair dramatically. “Now tell your big sister why you ran in like you were possessed by a follower of the Dark One”

 

“I just had a bad dream” Gisela looked at her feet, her sandals were still on. _I must not have taken them off before._ _Double opps._

 

“Must have been some bad dream” Ca said, “but thats okay cause you woke up and now you can have breakfast and go to school, everything okay. I will even give you a pass on this cause I am so magnanimous”  

 

_ I wish, this whole mess is a bad dream,  _ Gisela thought with well disguised longing. Not allowing any of her inner thoughts to show on her face she snarked back, “thank you for your magnanimity”. Gisela could feel her pulse slowing as she talked.

 

“You’re welcome. Now head down for breakfast, Ma wanted to know about school and was annoyed that you went straight to bed. Have fun” Ca said.

 

“I need to use the bathroom” Gisela hedged.

 

“To bad, you shouldn’t have ran in on me. Now shoo”

 

“Fine”  Sighing theatrically Gisela shut the door to the bathroom behind her. Once it was closed Gisela let lose a much truer sigh of relief,  _ the was awful.  _ Her face was still red, she could feel the heat of the blush in her cheeks. 

 

_ At least my headache is gone.  _ It was true, sleep had done its job as the best medicine and left her blissfully headache free.

 

Her eyes cleared of sleep Gisela looked around the room that she shared with her two sister. Maape was still asleep curled up in her bed. Looking past Maape’s bed Gisela could see Ca’s bed, it’s sheets neatly made.  _ And then there’s me,  _ wincing Gisela walked back to her bed. Her covers were dangling half on the ground from her panicked flailing.  _ Isn’t that a metaphor for my life.  _ Picking up the sheet Gisela started to shake it out briskly.

 

_ I really am a mess, not that I didn’t know that already.  _ Making her bed up Gisela neatened up the chiton she was wearing.  _ This was my best one, might as well wear it again today. They all look practically the same anyways.  _ Finishing cleaning up her sheets just as she heard the bathroom door start to creak Gisela started to head down the stairs.

 

_ Once more unto the breach,  _ she thought as she descended the stairs and made her way back to the informal dining room. 

 

“Good morning” Gisela said, forcing some cheerfulness into her voice as she entered. True to Ca’s words she saw Chiosca sitting, drinking out of her mug. There were two plates of eggs set out and small bowls of yogurt with honey.  _ Joy.  _

 

“Morning dear. I hope you are feeling better, you looked awful when you came back from school yesterday” Chiosca asked, pursing her lips.

 

“I had a headache”  _ might as well be truthful, no point in lying,  _ Gisela reasoned.

 

“Are you well enough to go to school” Chiosca asked before starting on her yogurt. 

 

“I should be fine”  _ I don’t want to be stuck in bed all day, been there done that.  _ Gisela shivered as she remembered the early days, trapped in her bed not knowing what was happening and helpless.  _ No, even school is better than that. _

 

“But you are alright and will not have to leave school today. The assembly meets this weekend and it is quite like your father and I will be called on to speak. It would reflect badly on us if you embarrassed us  in school and with both the assembly and the cost of linen being what it is we can not risk losing face.” 

 

“I understand mother” Gisela said as she picked up her spoon.  _ And there is the other reason, knew it.  _ Glaring at the white gloop covered by golden honey in her bowl Gisela started to mix it up, the white of the yogurt mixing with the gold of the honey. 

 

“Good, you are my child and I want nothing but the best for this family Gisela. I know you were not excited about school and I know we push you to do thing you don’t wan’t to do but we love you and we just want what's best for you. Trust me Gisela, I am your mother after all and you are my daughter” 

 

Gisela didn’t expect the sharp guilt that lanced through her at the last sentence. Biting her lip to stop the wince replied, “I know mother, thank you”

“I’m glad, I know we have drifted apart” Chiosca seemed a little nonplussed by the flat response. 

 

“I’m sorry you feel that way mother” Gisela said as she tried to push her bitterness down.

 

Chiosca shifted awkwardly for a second, seemingly still thrown of by Gisela. “Okay, so do you like the food, I asked the cook to prepare a nice breakfast before school and your lunch is packed too” 

 

“Thank you mother, I think it is time for me to be going”. Finishing up her food Gisela pushed her chair back in nodding to her mother. 

 

“Gisela I-”

 

“Yes mother?” Gisela turned her head around to glance at her mother.

 

“Nevermind” she said, waving her arm in negation, have a good day at school and don’t disappoint us”  

 

“Alright mom” She grabbed her leather school bag from where she left it the day before before ducking into the kitchen.

 

“Your repast, my lady” Mr. Cornwallis said as he handed Gisela her lunch bag with a flourish, “it is my most sincere hope that you enjoy the fruits of my labor” 

 

“I will” Gisela said, forcing cheer into her voice,  _ he works really hard, “ _ Have a good day” she wished him as she stepped back out of kitchen. 

 

Exiting the house Gisela walked down the street, not looking back.

 

It was early enough that the heat of the day hadn’t yet set in. Gisela could see the sun still rising as she walked, it was nowhere near its zenith. She could smell the faintest traces of salt from the harbor being brought in on the wind as she walked through the merchants district on the way to her school.

 

It was a pleasant morning, even as she battled with herself.

 

_ I wish I was better,  _ Gisela mused guiltily,  _ Chiosca tries, it is not her fault she ended up with someone like me, someone who already had a mother, instead of the real Gisela. I bet she didn’t care about magic or books or anything. I should be a better member of the family.  _

 

_ And yet… I still can’t let go. I’m still clinging to my life from before and I can’t help it. I can’t let go. I dont want- _

 

“Good morning Gisela” a high pitched voice called out to her.

 

Scanning her surroundings Gisela saw a short, dark girl with green hair walking over,  _ think Gisela, you know her.  _ She kicked herself mentally, Enau, Erniai,  _ what was it… Erani! _

 

“Morning Erani” she called back, slowing her stride

 

Falling into place next to her the green haired girl grinned, “I am glad to see you are coming back, I was worried when you ran out yesterday. I called to you but I don’t think you heard” 

 

_ Triple opps.  _ “Sorry I didn’t hear you, I had a really bad headache and just needed to go back to the house” 

 

“But you are all right now, right?” Erani questioned anxiously. 

 

“Yes” 

 

Erani’s cream colored eyes warmed up at that, “thank the goddess”

 

“The goddess be thanked” Gisela said, reciting the traditional reply unthinkingly.

 

“You know the right forms” Gisela had to cover her ears at the volume of Erani’s squeal, “I thought I was the only one in class who did. Well Sai might but she is always reading so we don’t talk much and I am really glad that someone else knows. Did your parents teach you? Did you learn at temple? Did you see that in a service? Did-”

 

“I read it” Gisela explained flatly, forestalling more of the rapid fire questions.

 

“I should have known we’d get another bookworm. Are you at all aware of the world outside of books” Erani asked dramatically.

 

“I try to be” Gisela replied cryptically, “I didn’t think you were this chatty?”  _ In class all we did was do facts. _

 

“I’m not with strangers but we are friends now, you helped me with grammar even when it gave you a headache”

 

“We are friends” Gisela asked, trying to keep the hesitation out of her voice.  _ I haven't had friends since Before. _

 

“Well, yeah. We sit at the same table, check. We corrected each others math, check. We corrected each others grammar, check. We are friends” 

 

Looking at Erani’s clenched fists and stubborn countenance,  _ I think discretion is the better part of valor _ .

 

“Alright then, I guess we are friends” Gisela said, vaguely amused,  _  I don’t think I have ever been befriended quite like this.  _

 

“Great! That means you can help me with my grammar and my Common. My mom’s a priest of the temple and I don’t want to disappoint her” 

 

“The temple?”  _ There are at least three temples here, we are polytheistic after all. _

 

“The temple of Ubphine, duh. What other temple would I be talking about? The temple of Qosasis?”  

 

“True” Gisela hedged, “do you want to be a priest when you grow up?”.  _ Kids talk about stuff like that, right? It’s all “I want to be a hero” or “I want to be an astronaut”... who am I kidding, I suck at kids. Why did I even think that trying to talk was a good idea, I should have pulled the headache card and stayed home and- _

 

Erani cut throw Gisela’s spiraling worries with a quick sentence, “What else would I want to be. It will be my honor to serve the goddess in all of her many forms” 

 

_ Dodged that one.  _ “I’m glad one you know what you want to do” Gisela said wryly.  _ Not that I don’t know, I just don’t know how to do it.  _ It was true, her attempts at learning magic were reaching a stand still,  _ and unless I throw myself off a cliff or something I don’t think I will be making much progress any time soon. _

 

“What about working with your mom. She runs the family clothing shops right? You help out there don’t you”

 

“I do” Gisela replied shortly, pushing down the memoirs of carefully going over each page of inventory until her head was screaming.

 

“So you don’t like that?”

 

Gisela shrugged helplessly, trying to figure out a way to politely express her dislike. 

 

_ “ _ So you want to go into shipping?”, the surprise in the shorter girl’s voice was obvious. 

 

“I don’t know. I just don’t think that I am cut out for a job like my fathers either”. It was true. Sailing might tempt Gisela but the monotony of book keeping and the stress of captaining a ship sounded awful. No, Gisela did not want anything to do with that.

 

“But you have sailed with him before, right. You can’t give up till you have really tried it”.  _ She really believes that,  _ Gisela thought, impressed by the strength of Erani’s belief.

 

“Not yet” Gisela said awkwardly,  _ I don’t want to get into a fight… _

 

“That’s no good. If I could work at the temple I would go right now and not waste time at school. You need to try things out, you can’t just shut the door on everything” 

 

_ Is this Give Gisela Life Advice Day?  _ She thought snarkily, biting down her sharp reply, “I might, I just don’t know when I good time is. Father gets pretty busy with the assembly meetings and all” Gisela hedged, hoping to avoid a fight.]

 

“True. Mom is the same way. She wanted to walk me to school again but she is attending as well”. The pride in Erani’s voice when she spoke of her mother was obvious.

_ I didn’t realize her mother was so high up, I guess it makes sense if she is going to a school like ours.  _

 

The conversation died off after that and the two continued their walk in silence,  _ I missed the library,  _ Gisela thought regretfully as the passed into the school’s walls. 

 

Approaching the door to their classroom Gisela jumped back as it swung open revealing instructor Slanfo.  

 

“Good morning kids, come one in!’  _ She is so cheerful,  _ Gisela thought, impressed in spite of herself.

 

They were the first two in class, pulling out their respective chairs they took a seat at their desk. 

 

The other four kids walked in. Gisela could see Sairen and Fenlo chatting quietly and Cierra and Micklen chatting as they sat down, waiting for class to begin.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Gisela angsts and attempts to be nice. (I hope the ending isn’t awful)

 

 

The next few weeks passed quickly as Gisela formed a routine. She walked to school with Erani daily and chatted as they went. One day Gisela learned that, Erani wanted to be a priest like her mother and could not believe that Gisela had no goal to be like either of her parents. Another day Gisela learned that she went to school on saturdays and sundays as well, being both part of the temple and non temple school systems. In class Gisela chatted with Micklen and Fenlo and did her best not to be driven out of her mind with boredom by basic math. She borrowed books for Sairen, finally getting her hands on the book about the Strait War and devouring it. 

 

May,  _ and wasn’t it strange that in this whole new world they still used the same twelve months,  _ was soon over and then it was June. The heat that had only bothered her slightly before grew far worse. As the middle of June approached she gave up even the light sheet that she normally used as a cover in bed.  _ I miss my A.C.,  _ she had thought repeatedly but to no avail. She could not change the weather. Just like every summer since she had been reborn she would just have to deal with the heat.

 

That was not the only thing that happened, steadily she tried again and again to meditate. Reaching desperately inside herself for the magic that she knew had to exist in this world. It was hard to stay hopeful when she felt like all that she ever ran into was dead ends. Gisela felt herself withdraw further inside even as Erani and the rest tried to pull her out.  _ I can’t even go to the library anymore,  _ Gisela thought sullenly as she flung herself on her bed, ignoring Ca and Maape.

 

Rest came slowly to her as she tossed and turned, waiting for sleep to finally find her. 

 

“Wake up Gisela, wake up- its time wake”. The chipper voice intruded on her dreams, breaking her out of the blackness. It was faint at first then louder and louder until she could no longer avoid it.

 

_ Uhg,  _ opening her eyes a slit, Gisela stayed down from long experience (and many painful cracks on the forehead). She felt the ends of Ca’s hair tickle her face, and let lose a puff of air to blow them away. She watched for a moment as the pale green strands fluttered in her artificial gust before responding. 

 

“I’m awake” Gisela muttered grogilly, glaring up into Ca’s bright brown eyes.  

 

“Great” Ca chirped, seemingly immune to Gisela’s glare, as she swung right back up. “Mom wants to talk to you, remember?”

 

Thinking back to the night before Gisela shot up,  _ Chiosca did mention something last night….  _ She felt herself blush, she had been reading about the Strait War under the table.  _ Ehehehhh... _

 

“You were reading right?” Ca said, seeing though Gisela silence, “really Gisela you could at least try to participate in the conversations. Anyways, go down now before mom gets more impatient”

 

“Yeah, thanks Ca”  

 

Rolling out of bed she ducked out of the room, not even bothering to change out of the chiton that she had slept in.  _ I wonder what Chiosca wants to talk about with me, bet its something bad,  _ Gisela thought slightly bitterly,  _ last time this happened it was school _ .  _ I hope I don’t have some kind of sunday school like Erani goes to now, that would suck. I need some childfree time. _

 

As she thought she ran down the stairs, taking them two at the time and jumping the last three as she quickly made her way into the family dining room.  _ Time to bite the bullet.  _

 

Chiosca was waiting down stairs.

 

_ Am I missing something,  _ Gisela thought as she studied her mother.  _ Something is definitely different.  _

 

She looked more than ready for the day with her hair pinned up in an ornate braid, gold strands interwoven with her brown hair. Her chiton was much fancier than normal too, it was a pale green with gold embroideries and multiple layers.

 

“Morning Mother” Gisela said, standing awkwardly in the stairs,  _ am I forgetting something?  _ She wondered,  _ normally Ca would have just let me sleep. She only gets like this when something is going on. _

 

Staring at Chiosca the silence soon gained a slightly awkward edge, finally the older woman decided to break it. 

 

“I’m glad you are awake Gisela. I talked to your father and he agreed. You have behaved adequately these past weeks and in return we will allow you permission to go back to the library”

 

The hope that had risen in Gisela at Chiosca’s words burst in her chest pushing out all thoughts about her unusual, and far fancier than normal, dress. _She was totally forgetting something but she could worry about that latter because_ _finally, finally she was unbanned_. Gisela restrained herself from jumping up and down, from screaming at the top of her voice, from dancing around the room. Five weeks of good behavior, five weeks of going to and from school without making any side trips, of getting great grades (not that it was hard), of trying to be friends with people much younger than she was, of not hinting or begging. It was finally over. She could finally return to the library, without upsetting them. 

 

The rest of the conversation would be the structures she had to obey, don’t do anything digarce the family, don’t stay out to late, pay attention to the time for once but it hardly mattered- she was going back. She could keep trying to learn about magic.

 

“Thank you mother, I will not disappoint you” Gisela said calmly, keeping her jubilation on the inside.

 

“-And did you hear what I said Gisela” Chiosca inquired.

 

“Yeah, I can go back to the library as long as I am not late and do not do anything that would endanger the family image”.  _  I want to go to the library already.  _ She resisted the urge to start tapping her foot.

 

“After that”,  _  I think I am not the only one who is impatient,  _ she thought snarkily before seeing how hard the woman’s eyes were _. Please don't take it away,  _ Gisela begged, she was so close. 

 

“I said that you will be helping me after school at the stores. You may go to the library when you are not busy with either works. Also I expect your standard for grades will not drop. Am I understood?” Chiosca meet Gisela’s eyes steadily.

 

“Yes mother” Gisela said as she returned the stare steadily for a moment before breaking it off. 

 

“May I please be excused”,  _ maybe I can go now, it is a day off, wait, why is it a day off? I am totally forgetting something... _

 

“Are you forgetting something” Chiosca tapped her foot for emphasis. “You do that we are going to the festival, right?” 

 

_ Opps. Forgot that. That's why Ca is so excited and why Chiosca is forgiving me, idot.  _ Gisela could have slapped herself for spacing out.  _ How did I forget about the Festival of Growth. _

 

“Of course I remembered, Mother. Why would I forget? I was just thinking about what to wear”  _ I am so full of shat, well even more full than I normally am… _

 

“Gisela… just go change” Chiosca said shaking her head, “we need to start getting ready to go”

 

“Yes mother” 

 

_ I still get to go to the library,  _ she reminded herself as she turned away from Chiosca and back to going up the stair,  _ I did it. Maybe this whole thing isn’t impossible. Maybe.. _

 

Gisela felt like she was bouncing as she returned to her room, ignoring Ca’s questioning glace. “Do you know where my green chiton is” she asked as she rooted about in their shared closet. Pushing past the white chitons to look farther in the back where the themed fancier chitons  were.  _ I can’t believe I forgot about the festival.  _ She kicked herself mentally as she pushed through her white chitons.  _ Where is it,  _ she thought desperately as she reached the end of her clothes and the start of Maape’s,  _ I can’t mess up now, I need to find it.  _

 

Turning sharply at the tap on her shoulder she was just about to snap when she saw Ca was holding her green chiton, “put it on and I’ll braid your hair, can’t have you embarrassing the family today” 

 

Feeling the framiller flush of embarrassment bloom on her face Gisela grabbed the garmnet and ducked into the bathroom, nodding at Maape who looked to be imitating Gisela in turing the room over for her green chiton.  _ At least I’m not the only one having trouble finding my clothes, I suppose that happens where you only wear it once a year.  _ Distracted as she was by her thoughts Gisela did not think to glance away from her mirror as she walked in. Instead she met her face full on.

 

_ Positive thoughts,  _ Gisela reminded herself as nausea rose in her stomach, t _ hese are easy to put on,  _ Gisela thought, remembering the dresses of before,  _ and I won’t have to wear high heels or anything either.  _ Even so Gisela felt the farmiller pangs of longing for the clothes she used to wear.  _ I miss pants and tee-shirts and everything. I looked right in those.  _ It was true, _ Even after ten years I still look wrong,  _ she thought bitterly as she stared at her own green blue eyes in the mirror. 

 

“Hurry up Gisela, I need to change too and you need to braid your hair up”, Maape called out impatiently.

 

“Coming”, Gisela said as she pushed the door to the bathroom back open. Her green chiton shifted in the slight gust that came from the forceful yank.

 

“Thanks” Maape said as she slipped past Gisela and into the bathroom, holding a bundle of green cloth,  _ looks like she found it, good for her _ .

 

“Take a seat,” Ca said pointing to the stool in front of the mirror.

 

“Do I have too?” Gisela asked, almost whining.  _ I don’t want to look at this body for so long.  _

 

“Yes, now sit” Ca snapped, patience apparently worn thin by Gisela’s dithering.   

 

Gisela closed her eyes as she sat down, turning her head to avoid seeing herself in the mirror.

 

With her eyes closed Gisela attempted to relax as Ca began to brush her hair.

 

Her breathing slowed…

 

Eyes closed she inhaled.

 

_ In… _

 

She felt Ca brush down her hair, the bristles of the brush running through her hair briskly.

 

_ Out..  _

 

Ca had lifted her brush to begin her next stroke. It repeated like that as Gisela sunk deeper within herself using the repetitive motion of the hair brush as a focus.

 

_ In…  _

 

The nausea that had been building since she had seen her face in the mirror had faded away.

 

_ Out… _

 

Everything was muted and distant as she held herself apart, cool, dark and quiet in her own space.

 

_ In… _

 

_ OUCH!  _ The yank as Ca pulled to hard on a particularly stubborn snarl pulled Gisela back out as she shirked and swung her head around. 

 

“What was that for?” she yelped, glaring at Ca her annoyance returning two fold,  _ I almost had something! _

 

“Hey, its not my fault you can’t keep proper control of your hair” Ca snapped back, “now turn around so I can finish, I need to braid your gold in, do you want some green too?”

 

_ Nothing I can do,  _ Gisela thought, hot anger turning into resignation as she ignored Ca’s question. She turned back, her eyes closed once again and reached for the trance that she had been in but found it illusive. The slight tugs, but gentler and far less rhythmic than they had been before, of Ca braiding her hair were not enough for her to regain the focus that she had had.  _ I guess I will try again later,  _ she planned.

 

It took a few more minutes of sitting but Gisela felt something go around the end of her hair, tying it off.

 

“Take a look, I think I did pretty well” Ca said. Gisela could hear the satisfaction in her voice. 

 

“Do I have too”

 

“Yes, Gisela. I know you have your fear of mirrors and all but I did not just braid your hair for you to ignore my hard work, now look.” Ca ordered planting a hand on each of Gisela’s shoulders to keep her in place.

 

_ No choice,  _ Gisela thought helplessly, if she struggled or refused Chiosca would get involved and she had just got permission to go back to the library, she couldn’t lose it now.  As she opened her eyes she winced and felt her stomach start to roll. The girl staring back at her was pretty, with her coffee colored skin and turquoise eyes, but she was wrong. 

 

Trying to ignore the nausea Gisela glanced at her hair. The tight, prickling feeling she had been getting made sense as it had been taken and braided into a tight crown. Entwined with her normal brown hair were strands of gold, echoing the golden swirls that were embroidered on her chiton. The girl in the mirror was beautiful but she wasn’t her and as soon as she felt the pressure of Ca’s hands lift she turned around, almost bumping heads (for the second time that day).

“Some of my best work wouldn’t you say” Ca said proudly, seeming almost puffed up, “I can’t wait to do Maape”.

 

“Yeah.. it's great” Gisela was able to choke out awkwardly.  _ It’s not Ca’s fault I’m all wrong, she’s not my sister because I replaced her sister,  _ Gisela reminded herself as she shifted out of the seat. As soon as she got up she turned away from the mirror.

 

“I’m going to head back down, see you guys there” Gisela said as she ducked out of the room.  _ I hate full length chitons,  _ she brooded as she almost tripped over the hem. 

 

Distracted as she was by her feet she felt the impact before she saw the body. Looking to see who she bumped into she saw Gastislion, his green hair glinting with interwoven gold and wearing the a similar green and gold chiton.

 

“Sorry Gisela” he said, reaching up as if to fidget with his hair before dropping his hand.

 

“It's fine. Sorry I wasn’t looking” Gisela stepped back slightly to regain her space.

 

“So, you excited for the festival” Gastislion said upbeat. “I have been looking forward to this all summer, Dad finally forgave me for the time I messed up the stars for navigation”

“You messed up the stars for navigation” Gisela asked as they started to walk,  _ why was he even in charge of that _ .

 

“Yeah, on the last voyage it was my job to do some quick calculations as practice because it is only across the Strait you know but then I swapped my paper with Anjay, she’s our navigator, on accident and we almost got really lost” he explained awkwardly, “luckily she caught it on the second day cause she knew what the stars were supposed to look like and they didn’t so we were fine but that was why we were a day late” 

 

_ So that was why we got the bird, I thought that was an unusually accurate prediction of when they would pull in.  _

 

“So you were banned from navigation or something?”  _ That doesn’t make much sense, if he messed up than he needs practice. _

 

“No” Gastislion corrected Gisela, rolling his eyes in the way only a kid could. “I just couldn’t practice any of the fun stuff or work on my boat” 

 

“You’re seven Gastislion, give it time, I know they will let you sail sometime” Gisela said, attempting to comfort him,  _ I’m not very good at this, am I? _

 

“I know I know” he said doing another eye roll, “anyway did they unban you from the library? How did you get banned in the first place?”

 

“Yes, Mother just told me I could start going again” Gisela said, ignoring the second half of the question. 

 

“I’m glad. You’re happier when you are reading” Gastislion said before grabbing her hand, “come on, Mom and Dad need to give us the talk and I want to go to the festival. Let’s get it over with”

 

_ That's actually a good point,  _ “Alright”, Gisela agreed easily. Allowing Gastislion to drag her foward, albit slower than if they were not in full length chitions. 

 

Lynoosne and Chisoca were both seated at the table, waiting patiently as they speed walked into the dining room. Looking at Lynoosne Gisela saw he too was dressed up, his green hair was not tied back in a low ponytail for once. Instead it flowed free and long, held back from his face by a green and gold circlet. His brown eyes were highlighted by the gold paint he had lined his eyelids with. 

 

“Hi Dad” Gastislion said cheerfully as he took his place at the table, echoing their upright elegant posture as to not wrinkle his chition.  _ When a seven year old is better at clothes that you,  _ Gisela thought wistfully as she saw the care he put into preserving his outfit. 

 

“Morning father” Gisela said formally as Lynoosnes’ eyes left his son and turned over to her. 

 

Taking her seat Gisela attempted to mimic the rest of her familles posture, “Ca was helping Maape get ready” she reporting, answering the unasked question.

 

“You have such a good sister” Chiosca said fondly before looking at Gisela, “why can’t you be more like Ca”

 

“I try Mother” Gisela said, tapping her feet on the wooden floor awkwardly,  _ I know I am an awful replacement for your real daughter but at least I don’t pretend otherwise. I don’t try to say that I am your daughter, at least not on the inside.  _

 

“So what are dancering going to be like this year” Gastislion asked, breaking through the sudden tension.

 

“While I was not on the commission to plan this years festival of growth I have heard that there's will be dancers and rumor has it that Qosasis’s followers have agreed to perform as a fundraiser this year” 

 

“Thats awesome” Gisela said, jumping into the conversation, “do you know what they will be doing?” 

 

“I’m not sure, but my friend saw the rehearsals and apparently they were  _ magical _ ” 

 

Gisela was just about to ask what type of magic when Chiosca interrupted, “I see” in a frosty tone.

 

_ And conversation broken,  _ Gisela thought to herself. She knew better than to snark out loud. As she watched Gastislion started to fidget under the sudden pressure but before he could attempt to break the tension-

 

“We’re here!” Ca announced as she flounced into the room, Maape following behind her. Ca’s hair was unbraided but was held with a circlet similar to her father and brothers. Her chition was the same pale green of her hair at the top and as it flowed down it faded, allowing the embroidered leaves and flowers to come to the fore. To finish the garment it was tied with a shimmering gold sash around the waist. Ca had also put on eyeshadow like her fathers as well.  _ Where was the gold eye shadow when I was getting dressed,  _ Gisela wondered slightly wistfully before looking at Maape. 

 

She was done up much like Gisela, her darker brown hair had ribbons of gold and green woven through the ornate braids but unlike Gisela who could feel the awkward weight of her bun Ca had allowed Maape to have part of her hair free to flow down her back.

 

“Oh Ca you did wonders” Chiosca said proudly, “take your seats so we can begin"

 

“Yes mother” the chorused as they took the two remaining seats. 

 

“Today let us reflect on how we have grown, let us reflect on how we have changed.” Chiosca began meditatively. Somehow, even though it was light outside it seemed to Gisela that the room had darkened as Chiosca started to talk.

 

“Why do we reflect on today” Gastislion asked, his voice an echo of Chiosca’s, filling his role in the small ritual.

 

“Because today is the day that marks growth and with growth comes change, and change forgiveness and we grow past our old sins.”

 

“We honor Evneas for her grace this season as she brings in the harvest” Lynoosne continued solemnly, “and as we honor her for her grace we ask for the strength to forgive. Just as we have forgiven you your sins we ask you forgive ours”

 

“As we know change is as change will be and all we can do is accept it and with it the idea that no one can be guilty forever”

 

Now it was her turn, together with Ca, Maape, and Gastislion Gisela courses, “as you have accepted us, we accept you, let it be, let it grow” 

 

And with that the ceremony was over.

  
  
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gisela attends a festival (which she forgot about) and Fiore is mentioned. Random question, is there anybody out there or am I just write/screaming into a void...

It was strange, walking out of the house as a unit. Normally it was just Gisela on her own, or, if necessary, Gisela with Chiosca or Ca. Even having Maape or Gastislion along was rare. Walking down streets to the festival with Ca and Maape chattering about linen, yet again, while Gastislion entertained both Chiosca and Lynoosne with his stories was a downright odd experience.

 

It never really happened. 

 

Soon after they turned off their street Gisela saw other festival goers, decked out as they were in green and gold making their way down. 

 

The trickle of people that they had fallen in with turned into a flood as they left the wealthy areas, passed where Gisea would normally turn off to go to school and the library and got into the more densely populated ones. Here the fabric, Gisela couldn’t help but note, of the chitons was much plainer and the gold much less likely to be real. Even so the time taken in the emboridies and the hair was still wonderful.

 

This was something that people had been preparing for for ages. 

 

It was a festival. 

 

The merchants plaza was decked out in green as Gisela made her way down with the rest of the group. 

 

Gastislion and Maape flittled from attraction to attraction as they dodged and ducked their way around.

 

The smell of food, boiled, baked, and, best of all, fried started to fill the air as they walked towards the temple district. 

 

_ Fried dough, one of the universal goods.  _ She thought, mind going back the the streets of New Orleans and the noise of the French Quarter. She felt a lump in her throat form at the memory,  _ I don’t have time to think now,  _ she bit the inside of her mouth to take her mind off of her thoughts before looking around again. 

 

_ I can’t believe I didn’t notice this,  _ she scanned the area around her as they got closer. Normally the temple district was a calm, sedate place. The housing built around the temple in the district was for the priests, the acolyte and the innates who worked at the temples. 

 

The only outsiders where the people coming to pray or looking for a quiet place.

 

Today none of the normal calm air of the place was intact.

 

Merchants had set up stands in all the grassy areas, selling gold (or just gold painted) statues of the animals of the hunt as well as various festival foods, Gisela felt her stomach rumble, she had skipped breakfast after all, and other knick knacks and chotchkies. A buzz of conversation filled the air, the noise of people celebrating after the work of bringing in a harvest.

 

It was loud. It was chaotic. It was alive. 

 

And Gisela was somehow part of it. Revelers flowed around her and the rest of her group as they made their way in, her stomach largely forgotten as they passed through a square. 

 

A glint in the corner of her eye caught Gisela’s attention,  _ dancers _ ! 

 

They were not state funded. The longer she looked the more Gisela could tell that their clothes, while gaudy, were cheaply made. The ribbons were rags that had salvaged and resewn and the costumes showed much wear under the gilt and shimmer. Even so they were beautiful.

 

As Gisela watched she saw then divide into two lines, gold and green.  The dancers froze for a moment, twisted into elegant poses as the music frozen with them.  Then the two lines seemed to blend back in in a dizzying blur of movement and color, they clasped arms and bowed before flipping back, gold and green now alternating.  

 

The music chose that moment to come back in, it sored high and low, matching the dancers moves as Gisela watched, spell bound by their grace.  _ I want to move like that someday,  _ she thought wistfully as two of the dancers caught the third at the end of an ornate tumbling maneuver. 

 

She was just raising an arm to clap when she felt something grab onto her. Jerking back Gisela saw the angry face of Chiosca. Her eyebrows were shoved together and he eyes were dark with aggravation.  

 

“Why did you wander off, we are going to be late” She snapped before grabbing Gisela’s arm again. 

 

Stumbling as she was yanked back to the group by Chiosca Gisela allowed herself one last, longing glance back at the dancers as they started a new routine. 

 

“Look who wandered off” Chiosca said flatly as she dragged Gisela back over to the rest of the group. “Now let's get going, we don’t want to be late. Do you know how hard it is to get seats at the temple dance. Honestly you lot have no understanding of how hard we work” She turned back, sharply took a few steps forward beforing looking back over her shoulder, “and no more side trips, alight Gisela”

 

“Yes mother” Gisela said, subdued. They started walking again,  this time Gisela ignored all the noise and lights of the festival and concentrated on tracing the ribbons in Chiosca’s braid. 

 

_ Maybe the next dancers will be even better,  _ Gisela thought, trying to cheer herself up. Her arm stung from where Chiosca had grabbed it and she rubbed it slightly as they walked. 

 

Chiosca was strong, physically at least.

 

She flinched away from the stand selling gilded mirrors as they walked but had to pull her attention away from the jewelry stand a little while later.  _ I want my tools back,  _ she thought bitterly. Her tools were a lifetime away, along with everything else she missed.

 

They passed the well that Gastislion and Maape had made offerings at earlier. It had been hung with vines and gold streamers but the cool grey stone underneath still showed though, its carving of waves untouched.

 

_ Today is a day of earth but we are still a city of water.  _ Gisela realized, reading the message in the stone. 

 

Finally they made it to the gates of the temple, they had been flung open to welcome the revelers. 

 

“Come with us please” a priest said as they passed the threshold. “We are honored to have you here” 

 

“No it is our honor” Chiosca deferred politely as she started to follow the priest. Gisela did not see her glance back as she strode forward into the temple. 

 

“You made wonderful time, the initial dance will begin shortly. After that will be a time of reflection and then the festival meal” the priest explained as they walked.

 

_ They must respect us,  _ Gisela inferred. The priest robes were a rare green in a temple of blue. On the Day of Growth Gisela was pretty sure, that a priest of Evneas would be venerated compared to their lower status the rest of the year.  _  I could be wrong though, it's not like I know that much about temple and their politics. It doesn’t matter that much anyways. There’s a reason I forgot that today was the festival.  _

 

Gisela attempted to distract herself from her thoughts by looking around. The priest, she really did need to find out their name, was deep in conversation with Chiosca but it was to quiet for Gisela to hear what they were saying. 

 

Ignoring them Gisela started to look around the temple, examining the walls with a critical eye.

 

_ Its really pretty,  _ Gisela couldn’t help but be awed by the elegance of the temple. Its construction was solid but even with that, beautiful. They passed a mosaic of a women naked save waves she wore as a dress bearing down on a dark shadow, the tiles that making it up matte even as the women seemed to shimmer and move in the morning light. 

 

Even when there was no main design in place smaller mosaics of waves were periodically interposed into the marble.  

 

Age lay heavy over this place as well, it was in the characters on the next mosaic they passed as they headed down a side hallway. It was of two women kissing. One had vines twined in her hair much like Gisela’s green ribbons, and was wearing a pale green chiton. The other was dressed in leather chiton, far shorter than the first.  Gisela couldn’t quite read the characters,  _ note to self, learn archaic characters,  _ but she was pretty sure that it was Evneas kissing her lover,  _ and learn more gods. It is a beautiful mosaic though. _

 

They entered an expansive room, pushing past a curtain of gold and green streamers. Chiosca exchanged quick words with the priest before walking ahead once again. 

 

“Here is our section” she said, pointing to a set of plain wooden benches about halfway down to the stage.  They had a thin green pad on the seats but other than that were bare.  _ I hope we have a good view,  _ she though, examining their line of sight. Looking from side to side Gisela could see some fancier boxes on the edges and above them was another row of seats. 

 

Looking she could see the room was not lit by torches or day light. Instead she could see crystal embedded in the walls each one shining with a brilliant light.   _ Magic,  _ she thought, awed.

 

As Gisela focused on the glowing stones she felt herself stumble, barely avoiding a faceplant by catching the wooden bench in front of her.

 

_ Woops. Lets not do that.  _ Turning away from the magic lights Gisela returned focus to the benches and squeezing past the familles already sitting. 

 

The light cast awkward shadows over their faces as she and her group walked forward,  _ even if the light wasn’t odd I would know them. They look like Chiosca’s crowd. She is the one who likes being social.  _

 

Making it to their sections of the bench Gisela sat down on the edge.  _ Stages like this are pretty cool,  _ she thought as she stared down. They were in an indoor semicircle amphitheater staring down at a now empty stage. 

 

“How long until this starts” Gisela asked Ca.

 

“Soon” 

Ca had no sooner spoken than the lights went dark, extinguishing all conversation.

 

One light glowed on stage, a pale gold. 

 

Then another.

 

And another. 

 

A starry night of motion. The lights swirled and danced on stage, still too dim to illuminate the area around them. 

 

Slowly the stage started to be illuminated as light after light flickered to life and with the light came the people. At first they were just silhouettes, pinpricks of light on the darkened stage but then the people became more defined. 

 

There were ten on stage. They were wearing the traditional forest green chitions and had the green ribbons in their hair, that was normal. Was was not normal were the floating golden lights that shifted with every one of their movements. Three or so lights obited each dancer in lazy irregular circles, providing just enough light to illuminate the stage. It was more than that though, the shifting light was also reflecting off some sort of green reflective surface,  _ its like sequins!  _ Gisela enthused mentally as she watched the shifting green light. 

 

The stillness ended.

 

They started to dance. 

 

The dance was similar to the one Gisela had seen outside before the festival, they broke into lines and reformed, moving quickly as the shapes changed. The pulled back and moved in swirling around each other. The people were similar.

 

The magic was different.

 

The magic was there.

 

In the light of day the shimmers had come from the ribbons and their motions as the dancers had twirled around their “stage”. Here the ribbons were ribbons of light, a rare display of magic. And as they danced they passed the ribbons back and forth so at times one dancer would have more light and another would be in the darkness.  _ Is it symbolic?  _ She couldn’t help but wonder,  _ people redeming each other with the passing of the light, but there is not enough light for everyone- how does that work? _

 

She had seen dancers before, but none like this.

 

It was incredible. 

 

_ I want to do that,  _ Gisela thought wistfully as the magic shifted.  _ I want to do magic. Its amazing, they never did anything like this in the Fairy Tail manga.  _ At least she thought so, actually remembering what happened got harder as time went on.  _ It doesn’t matter much though, I doubt I will go to Fiore, maybe I should go but how would I manage it. It is not like we are actually on good terms county wise. _

 

Suddenly the dancers swung inwards, the lights coalescing into a sphere of gold and green, it burst, illuminating the room in a shower of sparks as they posed. 

 

She had to sit on her hands to keep from applauding. 

 

Then the lights went back out again before reforming on center stage.

 

A priest came out onto the stage, wrapped in elaborately flowing green robes with elegant gold beading. It was beautiful and elaborate and they seemed to shimmer slightly in the magical spotlight. 

 

“As we finish this cycle and go into the next let's take a moment to think, let us take a moment to grow. Think of who you have wronged and who has wronged you and accept it, prepare to forgive for hate is the fastest way to stop growth” their voice rang out strong though the theater, this was not someone inexperienced in public speaking. 

 

It seemed a stillness fell over the room, before there had been the rustles of clothing and even the small noises of breathing and the child crying somewhere else in the room seemed muffled.  

 

_ In…  _

 

_ Am I angry at someone? _

 

_ Out…. _

 

She remembered Ca, hands on her hips scolding her for something or another.  _ Am I mad at Ca?  _ She wondered.

 

_ In… _

 

_ But Ca was only trying to help me and it's my fault that I am always late.  _

 

_ Out… _

 

She floated in her mind for a moment, the darkness was peaceful even as she felt the wooden bench though the thin padding.

 

_ In… _

 

She remembered Chiosca grabbing her arm and yanking her forward.

 

_ Out… _

 

_ She is only trying to help me,  _ Gisela reasoned as she exhaled.  _ She thinks that she is my mother and because of that she wants me to be the best daughter that I can be.  _ Gisela had known that before but somehow thinking it here, in this almost magic place made it feel more real somehow. 

 

She allowed that thought to flow out of her with her breath, returning to her mind.

 

_ In... _

 

_ Maybe I should try to mediate again? _

 

Gisela had stopped for a bit, fed up with her lack of progress and the fact that she could not find away do do it right,  _ but maybe, maybe here I can. _

 

Holding the picture of magic in her head Gisela exhaled.

 

_ Out… _

 

_ In… _

_ She stopped thinking about the her anger and focused on the magic she had just seen _

_ Out… _

_ She stopped feeling the heat that came with many bodies in a small room _

_ In… _

_ She stopped smelling the odd, fresh scented air _

_ Out… _

_ She stopped feeling the hard bench underneath her _

_ In… _

_ She stopped. _

_ It was peaceful, calm and clear as she floated motionless and relaxed. She stopped trying to feel and just felt stretching out to the world around her blindly, freely… reaching, pulling anything. _

_ Nothing. _

_ Then… something. _

Focusing on the image of the magic she had just seen Gisela reached blindly stretching out her senses.

She brushed against something and felt herself shiver in response. It felt odd, like a fluffy static shock.

She was just about the reach for it again when her vision turned orange, startling her out of her trance. 

She tried to grasp at the feeling but it seemed to slip out of her fingers, leaving her questioning if she had really felt anything after all. 

_ What was that?  _

Gisela wanted to stay seated and reach back out, see if she had just imagined the something she had felt or if it had been real. 

She felt tears form in her eyes from the sudden change of dark to light.

“It's time to go” someone said sharply.

Gisela glared at Ca, “I know”.

Rolling her eyes Gisela pushed herself up off the bench, shaking the pins and needles out of her limbs,  _ maybe it was just pins and needles I felt,  _ Gisela thought and felt her heart sink. 

She didn’t have time to continue thinking as they walked back outside. She rubbed her eyes at the second sudden change in illumination.  _ We definitely took a different route,  _ she realized as she looked around. A buffet had been prepared for them. Tables had been set up laden with food. There were all sorts of savory pastries layed out, interspersed with various other dishes and best of all, humus! 

Getting into line after her group, Gisela waited impatiently for the hummus. She got a bit of the spanakopita and some of the potato dish. As she served herself she couldn’t help but hum,  _ potatoes, potatoes, potatoes… where did that come from?  _ She wondered. 

_ No matter,  _ she thought as she spooned hummus onto the rest of her plate, grabbing some chips to eat with it.

“I’m going to find somewhere to sit”,  She let Lynoosne know as she carefully balanced her plate on one hand. 

Ducking and weaving through the crowd Gisela found a quiet corner to sit in. Shifting her plate from her hand to her lap, Gisela started to make quick work off her found.

_ I think I did feel something when I meditated,  _ she tried to recreate the feeling of fuzzy warmth that she thought she vaguely remembered. I _ had moved away from my family and was just breathing… what did I do.  _

She wanted to scream her annoyance to the world, she was so close.

“What’s with that face Gisela, today's a festival”  Gisela looked up into Erani’s grinning face. Her green hair had been pulled back by a gold circlet and she was wearing a jade colored chiton, its embroideries were, as per tradition, gold but to Gisela’s surprise they also held bits of blue twined in to the gold as a secondary, but still constant, presence. 

“I was just thinking of the magic, I wonder how they did that” Gisela said,  _ hide a lie with the truth and all… _

“It was one person doing the light magic, his name is  Dariun . He works for the temple of Qosasis as an alycote. I’ll tell him you liked his magic, did you like the dancers as well they worked really hard on coordinating all the magic and movements” 

“Yea” Gisela said, her mind drifting back to the dance, “they were amazing” 

“What I think is amazing is that you totally forgot about the festival” Erani said, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

“How did you know” Gisela asked, surprised,  _ did she talk to Ca or something?  _

“You just told me”, Erani gleefully told Gisela before turning more serious, “really though, you need to pay more attention, I know your family is unaligned and all but this is a yearly festival, you should pay more attention” 

“I know, I should” Gisela said awkwardly, she did try to keep track of the important festivals but they weren’t natural to her,  _ the gods could be real though. After all it’s not like reincarnation is impossible, I’m living proof of that. I wish school reminded us of the holidays like they did Before, I know religion is family taught here and all but it is still annoying. _

She finished eating while talking to Erani about the festival,  _ apparently it is also a friends responsibility to explain festivals if your parents don't,  _ Gisela thought, slightly amused. 

Even so, Erani’s explanation was good,  _ I was right,  _ came the satisfied thought.  _ The light was about forgiveness and how it should all be given, and the mirrors were self reflection.  _

“Thanks” Gisela said.

Eventually the conversation moved back to school topics and they were just in the middle of a debate about Fiore’s actions during the Second Trade War and their use of mages when something interrupted Gisela’s concentration.

“-Sela, Gisela” 

Turning her head to pinpoint the sound off the calling Gisela saw Ca calling for her.

“See you Erani”. Nodding to her school friend Gisela got back up and walked over, “time to go?” 

“Yup, Mom says we don’t want to overstay our welcome”

“Kay” 

The sun was setting as they made their way back to the house but the party was in full swing. At one point Gisela was sure she saw Mr. Cornwallis kissing someone before he whirled back off into the dance. 

Back at home she carefully undid her braids before crawling under her covers, it was time to sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
  
  
  



	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which progress is actually made and the author tries to write a myth. Thank you for your comments Jess and KuroHi91 I really appreciated them! Also this is now above 20000 words which is just awesome!

 

_ Come on, come on.  _ Gisela glared at the sun outside willing it to set faster, willing the teacher to end class faster. The festival was over, school had started and she wanted out. She fidgeted, shaking her legs under the table to try and release some of her excess energy.

 

Erani poked her under the desk, her glare saying “calm down, you’re distracting me” without any words.

 

Gisela tried to breathe and center herself, to focus on what the instructor was saying, and and she succeeded… for five seconds.  

 

Then it was back to glaring at the sun,  _ come on, come on _ . 

 

“- cause of the Strait War” 

 

“Wha?” Gisela said, swinging her head back,  _ oops I really need to stop doing that. _

 

“I said” Instructor Slanfo replied sharply, “what was the cause of the Strait War?”

 

Gisela grasped wildly for an answer before rallying “Minstrel attacked convoys of common lacrima” 

 

“Correct, Minstrel threw the first blow of the Strait War when they attacked an undefended convoy of common mid grade lacrima that were being shipped to Fiore for trade”  Instructor Slanfo affirmed, “I am so glad you were paying attention”. The smirk on her face made it obvious that she knew Gisela’s mind was elsewhere.

 

Gisela tried not to wince at the tone,  _ point taken…  _ she thought guiltily. 

 

Glancing to the side Gisela could see Erani smirking at her,  _ screw you,  _ she thought childishly. 

 

She couldn’t help it, today, after school she could finally, finally go back to the library. If that wasn’t something to be excited about than Gisela wasn’t sure what was. So what her thoughts wandered a bit, she was excited. She was allowed to be happy.

 

On the board the instructor was sketching out a chalk version of the strait between Caelum and Minstrel, complete with little labeled capitals.

 

“Does anyone know the capital of Minstrel” she asked, chalk hovering over the board. “Sairen”, she called, not looking back to see if anyone was raising their hands.  _ Typical,  _ Gisela thought, amused,  _ I’m not the only victim here _ .

 

“The capital city of Minstrel is Ferom, incidentally Ferom is the only city in Minstrel not to be part of a province” 

 

_ And now I remember why I don’t stand out as much as I could, thank you Sairen for helping me hide my freakishness _ , Gisela thought, impressed by just how much Sairen knew. 

 

“There will be a quiz next class on the beginning of the Strait War and its leaders, make sure to read the book we sent home with you all.” she said as she started to wipe down the board, “class dismissed”.

 

Gisela didn’t slow down, didn’t look back as she darted out of the building, barely remembering to grab her back on the way out. 

 

She ducked and weaved around people, cutting though all the back ways she knew in her haste. 

 

Finally she arrived.

 

Unhesitatingly Gisela pushed open the hard, wooden door that lead to the books. 

 

Gisela felt something settle in her as she entered. Breathing in she could smell parchment, ink, and something that read simply as book mixing with the smells of the market. It felt a little like home. It had even the first time she had stepped in with Chiosca, and promptly gotten lost among the shelves, a few months earlier. 

 

_ First the desk,  _ Gisela reminded herself,  _ I need to see if my pass still works since it has been so long since I have been here. Then I will start reading. _

 

The entrance way was beautiful, and even as distracted as she was Gisela couldn’t help but notice another mosaic of two woman hunting. One of them had their hands on the other positioning her arms so she could shot a bow.  _ It’s the one I saw in the temple! Or similar anyways. The craftsmanship is awesome  _ she thought as she looked at how carefully the small tiles had been set. 

 

“Gisela I haven't seen you for awhile” 

 

Turning to spot the voice Gisela grinned, “Hi, Ms. Hytica, I’m back”

 

“I noticed” came the dry reply, “may I ask why the long absence. I haven't seen you since your mother came in and dragged you out a few weeks back.”

 

Gisela inspected the floor, it was a very nice floor. The stone blocks were joined together expertly at the seams and it had been smoothed and weathered with age. It didn’t make snarky comments at her. She liked the floor.

 

“Gisela…”, even looking down Gisela could hear the raised eyebrow in the librarian’s voice.

 

“Mother said I couldn’t vist” Gisela replied, keeping the bitterness out of her voice the best  she could. 

 

“And she forgave you for the festival didn’t she? Well I hope you have learned how to keep time better because we have gotten some new books.”

 

“Really” Gisela said, swinging her head back up to meet the librarian’s eyes. 

 

“Yeah, I remember you were try to read about The Quiet One before you left and were disappointed that we didn’t have anything beyond myths and a few festival books.”

 

Gisela remembered those books, they had been interesting but they were really just quick mentions and when she had asked if they had anything else she had been told no. “Have you gotten more books?” she inquired, feeling her hopes rise.  _ Maybe they were just checked out or something and now that they are back I can read them! _

 

“Not exactly”, Gisela could hear the grin in her voice, “but I was able to request a book on loan for a few weeks. I was going to surprise you but then you didn’t come for awhile.”

 

“So you had to send the book back” Gisela felt her hopes sink, she had been so close.

 

“Luckily they were busy with the festival, you came back right in time”

 

“So you still have it” Gisela said quickly, excitement lending speed to her voice.  _ Maybe I don’t have to break into the temple after all! Well, not that I could really. _

 

“Yep. It’s called  _ The Start of the Hidden One _ by Sonyai Dawse, a former priest of Qosasis from around 150 years ago, it's really good”

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“How do you think? While I was oh so generously waiting for you I read it myself” 

 

“Typical”. Gisela snarked back, pulling a pout.

 

“Do you want this book or not brat, I could just send it back”

 

Gisela felt a spike of fear, “no no! I want to read it, thank you so much for getting it for me, I really appreciate it” 

 

Ms.  Hytica’s lips twisted into a mischievous smirk, “that's more like it, now come one, I have it in the back and I am assuming you are going to keep better track of time, right Gisela? I don’t want to have Ms. Raimu coming back in and explaining to me that you are banned again”

 

“You knew!” Gisela said looking up at the librarian as they started walking.

 

“Yes, what did you expect”

 

“Why did you make me tell you then?”  _ of course Chiosca would do that,  _ she thought glumly before brightening up,  _ I’m glad I didn’t try and sneak in them, be positive Gisela! _

 

“I wanted to make sure you were honest. No point in being nice to a lying brat” 

 

“Your going to keep calling me a brat aren't you. Librarians are supposed to be polite” 

 

“Who told you that. Besides brats like you aren't supposed to be in the library alone. You are lucky I let you in” 

 

“And I am very grateful” Gisela continued smoothly.  _ I really am, libraries are awesome and this is a really nice library.  _

 

Seemingly surprised but Gisela’s sudden agreement the librarian stopped needling her and they continued in silence. Gisela was just about to turn off at her normal reading spot when the older (biologically at least) woman grabbed her sleeve. “Not that way today, you need to get your book after all”

 

“Right”  _ why would it be held with the normal books, think Gisela think _ , she scolded herself as she followed the women down a corridor. Most of the reading areas and book rooms were on the outside or had pass through windows to allow light in, she had asked why they didn’t have lighting here before and gotten a dirty look for it.  _ Well books are worth a lot and however they do electricity could cause fire’s so I guess it makes sense that- _

 

Gisela couldn’t help but gasp, as they pushed through the door that lead to the private areas of the library she could see the glow of the crystals. “There like the ones I saw at the temple” she couldn’t help but say as she looked at the warmly glowing crystals. 

 

“Yeah. I know that there are new non torch lights catching on but those still carry a risk of fire and even if it is a pain to rely on magic these lights are what are best for the books and that is what is most important” 

 

_ That is such a librarian statement… not that it isn’t true, guess I'm a book person too.  _

 

“Why don’t you have these for the rest of the library” Gisela asked, her curiosity aroused,  _ it doesn’t make much sense just to have them on the inside. Unless they are hard to make or take a lot of magic or need to be renewed a lot or why don’t I know more about this,  _ she thought, fed up with her suppositions. 

 

“We don’t want to bother the temple of Qosasis to much, you know they like to pass unnoticed and having magic lights in the rest of the library would be a pain. Not to mention that we do not need magic where we are blessed with sunlight and to use it would be a waste and a shame. Where did you see them before?”

 

“How do you know this isn’t my first time?” Gisela rebutted.

 

“Your reaction, you were surprised but when people see them for the first time there is normally more shock. Oh, and you just told me”

 

“Oh”, Gisela repeated.  _ I can’t believe I fell for that.  _ She facepalmed mentally,  _ you win that one, you win that one.  _

 

“So where did you see them” the orange haired women prompted again.

 

“My’ here she hesitated awkwardly for a moment before continuing, “my family got to go to the dance at the temple. I they had them lighting up the walls, they are really pretty aren't they?” Gisela said as she admired the shining lights.

 

She turned her head, looking at them out of the corner of her eye to avoid light blindness. The hall illuminated by the lights was simple, its sturdy stone blocks bare, there were none of the designs that were scattered of the more public parts of the library. 

 

“That must have been nice, I got to see them practice and it was amazing” 

 

“You got to see them practice?” 

 

“I have connections”, she teased, winking as she did so, “but you got to see the actual show so I don’t know why you would be jealous. I wish I could have been invited” 

 

“It was beautiful, who did the lights? Did they all do it or was it just one person?” 

 

“Oh, that was  Dariun, he was actually behind the curtains manipulating all the lights at once”

 

“That must have taken a ton of coordination” Gisela remarked, pictureing the way the lights had swirled around each other seemingly controlled by the dancers, “it looked like they were all in control of their own lights”

 

“I’ll tell them you appreciate it. Even with magic they did work incredibly hard in order to properly honor our goddess” 

 

“Thanks”

 

Turning down another well lit but plain hallway they arrived at a simple room. “I’ll go in a get it, it will only take a moment. I’d invite you in but my office is a mess”

 

“Thanks” she repeated,  _ I wonder what she means by mess.  _ It was so tempting to take a peek in, to try see but more than that Gisela wanted this book. Before she had been banned she had come to the library- at first with Chiosca or Ca for children's books then on her own. She had tried to find more on  Qosasis but there had been very little. 

 

_ To go in, to not go in, to go in, to not go in,  _ the mused as she pictured a daisy in her head. She was just about to knock on the door and ask if she would be out soon when the door swung back open. 

 

“No peeking” Ms.  Hytica came out, carefully closing the door so Gisela couldn’t see in. 

 

“Anyways, look what I have” she bragged, holding up an very old looking book in a, now, white gloved hand. The cover was black and embossed with silver in elegant swirls with no title on the outside. It looked magical,  _ I can only hope that you can read a book by its cover.  _

 

Reaching for the book the librarian jerked it out of her grap, “ah ah ah, I have to give you some rules first”

 

“But I know the rules, you gave me the lay down like the first five times that I came here” Gisela retorted impatiently,  _ she was so close.  _

 

“But there are more rules, and if you want the book you have to listen to my spiel first. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it short. I know little children like you have itsy bitsy attention spans. Really if you can’t listen then there is no real reason why I should let you read this book”

 

“Sorry, I’m just really excited” 

 

“Right, well I need to give this book back tomorrow so today is your only time with it and you can’t take it out of the library. Also you need to stop by a basin to clean and dry your hands before touching this book. You can not make marks in it and if you drop it you will be charged, understand” 

 

“Yes, wash hands, handle with care, do not take it out and, do not mark it up”, Gisela parotted back. 

 

“Good brat, now let's go”. Putting the book into the leather bag that Gisela hadn’t noticed the orange haired women grab, as fixated as she was on the book. 

 

They walked back through the halls, passing the mosaic of the two women hunting,  _ I need to ask about that sometime, I think one is Evneas but I don’t know the other and this is going to drive me nuts. But book. One fact than another,  _ Gisela reminded herself, returning her focus to the much more important object. 

 

The basin was in a small chamber off the entrance as part of a fountain. Water flowed constantly out the “spout” of the water fall into the basin in a very fancy sink. Using the bar of unscented soap that rested near by Gisela scrubbed her hands vigorously.   

 

“That good?”, she asked as she showed her now shiny, clean hands to the older woman (at least physically, she wasn’t sure about mentally).

 

“Looks good” she said as she inspected Gisela’s hands. “Now dry them off and then you can get started” 

 

Following the librarian's instructions Gisela carefully dried her hands, making sure that they were not even lingeringly damp,  _ that should be good.  _

 

“Right, I have to stay in the room while you are reading that so just take a seat over there”. The librarian gestured elegantly at a desk and chair right on the other side of the arch into the main library. 

 

Gisela reached forward once more to grab the book, she was close, she was so close when again it was pulled out off her reach. She looked up, meeting the other woman’s golden eyes plaintively, “what is it now” she said, trying very hard to keep the whine out of her voice.

 

“Even if you are a brat I don’t want you to get banned on my account, what time do you need to leave” 

 

“Around four by the clock” Gisela said, having spotted the ornate old clock behind the main desk. 

 

“Right, here you go brat” she said and offred the book once more.

 

Gingerly Gisela took the book from the lady’s hands. It felt like holding a, heavy, piece of history. She gently took the book over to the desk and laid it out.

 

Then it was finally, finally time to read. 

 

She carefully flipped the book open,  _ The Start of The Hidden One  _ had been elegantly written in deep black ink on the creamy yellow page. 

 

_ This is a beautiful book,  _ Gisela realized, awe covering her thoughts. 

 

The first few chapters she read were interesting, they detailed the story of when the world was new. They told of the four births, of how the ocean rose cradling the land. Then they told of fire, how it arose of pure energy till the land and the sea called life to the air. They told of how the air woke in balance, playing tricks on the waves and stirring up gales. A final reckless force born unbound and balanced. The four then lived in harmony, a peace of the elements and their lesser children. Than a fifth was born from a union of the four, both bidden and unbidden. It broke the rules that no one, no deity should break and thus was changed until the darkness came.  

 

The four soon fell to darkness, even fires light was soon extinguished by the shadows. But for every dark there is a light, and with the weakening of the four the fifth awoke and pulled on the power that was gifted to it.

 

_ And thus the Last One, the Hidden One came.  _ Gisela read, riveted by the story.  _ Because for every light there is a darkness and for every darkness there comes a light. Breaking though the chains that they had allowed to hold them they came to the rescue of their brethren, calling forth the powers as they reached out to the world. They created their own strength, drawn through them and released it. They shaped the energy that the dark one could not reach and wielded it to fight their brethren. _

 

_ As the Dark One receded before the onslaught the other four awoke and added their power, finally driving back the Dark One, trapping it in the very bonds that once held the Hidden One. Victory one they turned to face their brethren who had aided, who had reinforced them unasked for and made a deal. They would accept The Hidden One’s power so long as they bound its strength for their aid, so the power would not be turned against the four like the dark ones. So it is that no temple of The Hidden One stands alone, their great power used as reinforcement for the others. _

 

_ That’s new,  _ Gisela thought, shocked.  _ I never really heard much about Qosasis before.  _ She was about the keep reading when a neatly clipped hand waved in her face, “time to go brat”

 

_ I don’t want to,  _ Gisela thought rebelliously,  _ but if I stayed now it will be a pain later so…  _ “Thanks for letting me read this, is there a way I can keep going with it later” she asked, trying hard not to beg.

 

“I’ll see what I can do, now scat brat. I don’t run a daycare here” 

 

Carefully laying the book down Gisela darted around the librarians and out the library with only one look back at the book she had left laying innocently on the desk,  _ goodbye my friend _ . 

_ I didn’t really learn that much about magic from that book but the origin book I read last time hardly mentioned Qosasis except to talk about the other deities magnanimity in allowing Qosasis to serve with them. This book was written by a priest of Qosasis so I guess it makes sense that it was much warmer to Qosasis through which it cool. Bias and point of view are really interesting.   _

 

Her musing carried her back to the house, quietly entering she heard voices from the dining room, “she will be late, mark my words. I know I had to forgive her something at the festival but really that girl has her head in the clouds- if I hadn’t been there for her birth I wouldn’t have believed a girl so feckless could be my child. Honestly I know you think that will help her but if she can’t even make it back from the library on time than how can we trust her to-” 

 

Not waiting for the rest of the tirad Gisela pushed open the door, “I’m back” she said sharply, cutting off the rest of Chiosca’s tirade. 

 

Seeming as though Gisela had been able to catch Chiosca off guard for once the woman stopped immediately, “Gisela, you made it back, one time!”

 

“I told you she could dear” Lynoonse said before turning his attention to Gisela, “why don’t you sit down for dinner we haven't started yet and the servant is finally back from his vacation”

 

It was true, Gisela could make out the serving platters on the table and as she took a seat the siblings came out of the other rooms.

 

“Glad you made it on time” Ca said, not noticing the atmosphere as she sat down in her place, Gastislion and Maape mimicking her. 

 

The dinner passed awkwardly, Chiosca and Lynoosne seemed to be sharing significant glances during lulls in conversation and Gisela’s mind was racing trying to keep what she had just read fast in her mind.

 

As soon as she could leave the table she did, carefully picking up her plate as she made her excuses to go back upstairs- it was too dark to mediate outdoors. Sitting cross legged on her bed, sandals kicked off her feet and sitting innocently in the corner, Gisela started to breathe.

 

Gisela let her body relax as she closed her eyes and sunk into her soft mattress.

 

_ In… _

 

She stopped thinking about the library

 

_ Out… _

 

She stopped feeling the slight warmth of the evening.

 

_ In…  _

 

She stopped smelling the fragrant aromas of the dinner she had just eaten.

 

_ Out… _

 

She stopped hearing the rustling of the wind.

 

_ In… _

 

She stopped.

 

It was peaceful, calm and clear as she floated motionless and relaxed. She stopped trying to feel and just felt stretching out to the world inside her blindly, freely… reaching, pulling anything.

 

Nothing.

 

Nothing.

 

Nothing. 

 

Not even the hint that she had felt at the dance. Slowly Gisela came out of her trance, thinking all the time.

 

_ What am I not doing,  _ she thought desperately before thinking about the book she had read earlier.  _ Qosasis does magic, and it was most likely written by a mage. What did they do that I am not doing… _ suddenly it hit her,  _ Qosasis reached out, I’m reaching in. Is it really that simple... _

  
  


Gisela let her body relax as she closed her eyes and sunk into her soft mattress.

 

_ In… _

 

She stopped thinking about the book, keeping her plan steady but allowing it to drift.

 

_ Out… _

 

She stopped feeling the slight warmth of the evening.

 

_ In…  _

 

She stopped smelling the fragrant aromas of the dinner she had just eaten.

 

_ Out… _

 

She stopped hearing the rustling of the wind.

 

_ In… _

 

She stopped.

 

It was peaceful, calm and clear as she floated motionless and relaxed. She stopped trying to feel and just felt stretching out to the world inside her blindly, freely… reaching, pulling anything.

 

She turned her focus outwards, straining against the darkness, calling the world to her.

 

Nothing…

 

Than something…

 

It was like a mirage at the corner of her eye, the more she focused on it the less it was there but if she drifted it would drift closer, it was almost within reach when a sudden impact surprised her. She jolted forward, smashing against someone's face and reeling back. 

 

“Parents want to talk to you” Ca informed Gisela crossly, still rubbing her face.  _ It's your fault,  _ Gisela thought slightly spitefully even as she rubbed her own forehead. She uncrossed her legs and allowed them to dangle off the bed, trying to shake the kinks out of them.

 

“Do I have too” Gisela said, still massaging her poor face.  _ Now off all times, I had something that time and now its gone again… _

 

“Yep, it looks like it's important, so I would hurry down. You know what Mom’s like, besides it's your own fault for leaving dinner so fast, its like you don’t want to spend time with us” Ca retorted briskly as she yanked Gisela upright with surprisingly strong arms.

 

“All right, all right” Gisela soothed as she shock herself out of Ca’s grasp,  _ Ca is just exaggerating,  _ Gisela hoped as she headed down stairs.

 

Her hopes were to no avail. The formal postures of both her parents as they sat with their after dinner tea were as large a hint as their first words to her, “Gisela we have decided something”

 

_ Oh Great. _

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things rapidly spin out of control

“What did you decide?”, Gisela inquired, feeling on edge.  _ I don’t need this right now. I’m already in school and I have tried to listen to them and I am doing my best even if they are not my family and I am just a replacement and what more can they do to me?  _

 

Chiosca seemed to fidget a bit before glancing at Lynoosne, their eyes met and Gisela could tell they were having an unspoken debate. Lynoosne looked away first.  _ Looks like he lost this one, guess it’s his job to be the bearer of bad news. _

 

Meeting Gisela’s eyes with his own deep brown he replied steadily, “you will be sailing with me on the first voyage of the new year” 

 

_ Oh.  _ It felt like the bottom had dropped out of her world. She wasn’t stable but she had found a balance, she was doing okay.

 

“Why” Gisela burst out, confused.  _ I thought helping out at the shop was enough, and an apprenticeship is my choice not theirs _ .

 

“You haven't shown much interest in the family stores and we believe that your more reckless tendencies will be better served on a ship”, Chiosca interjected.  _ Reckless tendencies _ ,  _ sure,  _ Gisela snarked back mentally, trying to distract herself from the feeling of impending doom.

 

“Winter trade will be starting soon and you will need to be drilled on the parts of ships as well as trade routes and working on your Common. We know that you have been doing well for in school purposes but travel requires a higher degree of fluency- even if it is only to Minstrel” 

 

“I” Gisela floundered for something to say, some way to argue. She didn’t want to get on a sailboat and try to deal with Minstrel. She was actually making progress with her magic, she was learning. She was coping.

 

“Gisela this is for your own good” Lynoosne said, “you are getting older and it will be good for you to have some knowledge of the other side of our family business. Besides, spend some time with your father for once” he continued with a quick grin, attempting to lighten the mood.

 

_ I don’t think they are going to budge.  _ Looking at her parents faces it was obvious that this was something they had been discussing for awhile, at not something that they were willing to budge on.  _ At least I will get a break from school?  _ Gisela thought, trying to be positive, trying to shore herself back up. 

 

“It will be one of the beging trips so it will be shorted, after the migration. I know you might be nervous about ships but you can always talk to your siblings and learn as you go. The trip to Minstrel is a much shorter trip than the winter runs that we make to Fiore”

 

_ That's something. No sea snakes for me and the less time I spend trapped on a boat the better.  _ “Can I be excused now?” Gisela asked,  _ before you guys find something else that I just have to do.  _

 

“Yes Gisela, just keep in mind that you should be reading your father’s manual on sailing in order to prepare for next spring”

 

“I understand” Gisela said as she made her second quick exit of the day,  _ that's it. I’m going to bake.  _ She took a deep breath, trying to stabilize herself again. _ S _ he pushed open the door to the kitchen. 

 

It was dim save for the thin beam of light from the open door, casting a bright line on to the counter. Even so most of the familiar room was in shadow. _I thought_ _Mr. Cornwallis would still be here cleaning up._

 

Gisela jolted as she heard the sound of something falling. Shifting she shoved the door open, light flooding the kitchen.

 

_ What.  _ Gisela couldn’t think, she could only stare as a bare chested Mr. Cornwallis looked awkwardly at her, still embracing another man,  _ what _ . 

 

A silence formed and stretched as both parties stood awkwardly, waiting to see what the other would do first. 

 

The absurdity of what was in front of her distracted her from what she had been told before. Gisela grasped wildly for something to do, something to say. She had never walked in on anyone kissing before! Not even Before! What was she supposed to do! 

 

Carefully disentangling himself from the other guy Mr. Cornwallis stood next to him. 

 

Gisela still had no idea what to do. 

 

“Gisela”, Mr. Cornwallis said with barely any awkwardness, “may I present to you my dear love, my precious Doran Duststone” 

 

“Hi” Gisela said, trying to keep the awkwardness out of her own voice, “I’m Gisela, I live here”

 

“I am aware” Doran said gravely and extended a dark hand to her, his left, part of Gisela noticed distantly, “it is a pleasure to meet such and excellent cook. Destrian loves to talk about your baking.

 

“My words are an oration my dear, and oration”, Mr. Cornwallis interjected, pride obvious in his voice. Gisela felt herself warming to the stranger, it was awkward, yes, but he didn’t seem like a bad person.

 

Making a decision Gisela reached out and shook his hand politely, making sure that her grasp was to custom.

 

Looking up to meet his brown eyes, she forced herself to keep her graze above the neck,  _ this is a totally normal meeting, you did not just walk in on two old guys making out in the kitchen _ . She repeated to herself as she shook his hand solemnly.

 

“It is good to meet you too” she said  _ Yay, that didn’t sound awkward,  _ Gisela cheered,  _ but we are still standing around in a mostly dark kitchen after I walked in on people kissing, I hope this never happens again. _

 

There was another period of silence after the handshake broke, again neither party quite knew where to go from here. However, this time it was Gisela who broke the silence.

 

“I was wondering if I could bake something? I don’t know if you are still cleaning up or something but I would love to make something. You could even serve it for breakfast tomorrow?” she offered. 

 

“Wonderful idea, I was thinking of spanakopita for the breaking of the fast tomorrow. Your aid would be treasured”, Mr. Cornwallis declaimed. “I have already commenced with the filling, if you wish you could aid with the crust”

 

“I must” Gisela said, enjoying the rhyme. 

 

“May I help”, Doran said, interrupting the conversation and the rhyme scheme. “I am good at making phyllo and it gives me something to do other than just hang around”  

 

Gisela debated for a second, normally she baked alone having to quick a temper if someone messed up in the kitchen but if he ran an inn that he could be a good baker.  _ Besides _ , Gisela mused,  _ I don’t want to make this awkward again. We just got out of the “what do I do help this shouldn’t have happened who has to acknowledge what just happened first” stage of this whole incident, I don’t want to go back there again.  _

 

“Let's give it a try then” Gisela said. She flashed a quick grin her decision made. “Can one of you two hit the lights though, it's still dark in here” 

 

“Right” Mr. Cornwallis said, turning on the lights and illuminating the kitchen. Stepping up onto her step stool Gisela grabbed one of the ceramic mixing bowls off of the shelf. Turning back around Gisela felt relieved,  _ they pulled their chitons up, progress!  _

 

She had to savor the small moments. 

 

Measuring out the flours, both white and a touch of whole wheat Gisela briskly whisked them together. She then added in a dash of salt. 

 

Nudging a well into the middle of the flours she turned back to Daron, “oil and vinegar?”

He came to her side and Gisela watched him like a hawk as he carefully measured first the olive  oil and than the vinegar into the well that she has made in the mix. 

 

She punched a wooden spoon into the mix and started to stir. The vinegar and oil were soon absorbed and she she stirred more and more crumbs formed on her spoon. The mix was still too dry to be a proper pie dough though.

 

“Is the water heated” Gisela called out as she finished blending the mix together.

 

“Yeah, we were just waiting on that when… let's talk about it while the dough rests. Do you want me to kneed?”, he offered. 

 

“I got it” Gisela said, barely acknowledging the first thing that he said. The dough quickly got to thick for her to mix with the spoon and she plunged her hands into the warm, sticky mixture. Working it was soothing, even if this wasn’t a yeast bread that required a long time to kneed it was still something that she could take out all her stress on without hurting anything.

 

_ That should do it,  _ Gisela thought, inspecting the smooth dough that had formed under her kneading, “what do you think?” she asked in the spirit of cooperation.

 

Daron poked the dough, “looks good to me”, he said with a shrug. 

 

“Alright then, time to let it rest.” She used the spoon to help her split the dough into two pieces. 

 

“You almost done with the filling Desty” Doran called out as he wandered over to the stove. Gisela could see Mr. Cornwallis stirring the filling on top of the bruner. It smelled delicious,  _ Doran calls him Desty _ . Gisela couldn’t help but be amused of the though,  _ I wonder if they are dating…  _ without the baking to distract her Gisela felt her mind going back to what she had seen earlier.  

 

“Wana sit down” she asked, catching Doran’s eye before pointing to the small table next to the door. 

 

“Sure, good work on the crust. This will be one great pie. I admit I’m jealous, you get to eat his cooking all the time” Doran said half jokingly as he came over and pulled out one of the study, plain wooden chairs and took a seat. He leaned back, the picture of relaxation.

 

“Yeah, its good cooking” Gisela agreed as she inhaled, savoring the savory smells that came from the pot.  _ This will be a very good pie,  _ she thought happily. 

 

“It provides me with great jubilation to know that my creations grant you happiness”, Mr. Cornwallis added to the idle chatter as the pot on the stove hissed. From her angle Gisela could see him briskly shifting the spatula, sauteing whatever was in the pot.  With even shift of the spatula a new wave of savory smells came out off the pot, it was very distracting. 

 

“May I request you bide your time until I may entre this conversation?”

 

“Sure” Gisela said, echoed by Doran. Their focus shifting from the smells for a few seconds. 

 

_ I really don’t want to talk about this but as it is it is a total elephant in the room so I suppose we have no choice.  _ Gisela tried to keep it in proportion, it wasn’t that she minded relationships, she just hated seeing people kiss. It was something that had haunted her in both lives, an instinctive, knee jerk yuck! the second she saw anybody kissing.

 

_ Nowhere to go but through,  _ Gisela said, trying to pump herself up to face the awkwardness head on as Mr. Cornwallis walked over from the stove, leaving the spatula next to the pan. 

 

“I apologies if I create a problem for you but may I request that you keep this indiscretion from the mistress” he requested as he sat down.

 

“Of course I won’t tell” Gisela said sharply, “it's not like you did anything wrong”  _ it was gross and I hate seeing it but kissing isn’t wrong or something that people should get in trouble for. It's just not my cup of tea.  _

 

“But I did, you see”, Mr. Cornwallis said, Gisela was just about to rebuke his statement sharply when he continued, “it was very rude of me to invite a stranger into your house when I am so generously employed here and for that you have my apologies” 

 

“Thats why your worried?” Gisela asked, surprised.  _ I thought it was because they were gay, it wouldn’t surprise me if they were against that,  _ she thought, trying to remember if Chiosca or Lynoosne had ever said anything about same sex relationships.

 

“Why else? This is Caelum” Doran said fiercely.

 

“Oh” Gisela said, it felt like she had the wind knocked out of her,  _ they have no prejudice against same sex relationships.  _ It was like her world had been suddenly turned on edge, Gisela felt naerusa rolling in her stomach fought to contain it, it wasn’t the relationships that hurt- it was the idea of it.

 

_ I really am an outsider, I don’t belong here, it's not right that I am here- how could I forget that.  _ It felt like losing her home all over again, like everything had been turned upside down and Gisela couldn’t breathe.  _ It's a good thing!  _ Gisela forced herself to remember,  _ it's so so good that it isn’t even something they think about, now take a deep breath and get back into it, you don’t have away to talk about this without showing how much of a freak you are- and that's if they believe you. _

 

Thoughts shoved into her mental closet for a different time, Gisela took a deep breath. She felt her lungs strain as she inhaled, holding that tension until she couldn’t anymore.

 

Mr. Cornwallis and Doran were both looking at her,  _ I have to reassure them,  _ Gisela reminded herself, snapping back to reality, pulling a mask down over her face to hide the turmoil that was rolling in her belly.  

 

“Gisela are you-” Mr. Cornwallis started to say worriedly.

 

“I’m fine.” Gisela said trying not to snap, “I won’t tell either, sorry for being nosy. Should we get back to work on the pie? I can get the crust rolled out”

 

“Thank you” Doran said and Gisela could see the tension leach out of him as she got up.

 

The rest of the time felt blurred to her, she rolled out the first sheet of dough carefully. Doran passed her the pot from on the stove and she filled the pie with the still warm filling. Carefully she laid the top sheet of crust down, crimping and twisting the edges to form an elegant seal. 

 

She stubbled almost falling off as she tried to step back to view her work.

 

“Gotcha” Mr. Corwallis said as she helped her to stand upright, “what are you going to put on it”

 

Gisela looked at the blank expanse of the crust, just waiting for something to decorate it. 

 

Taking the fork she was passed Gisela grinned, she knew what she wanted to decorate the pie with. 

 

Carefully she dotted out two D’s and a heart around them.

 

“Gisela” Mr. Cornwallis said and even though it was a warning Gisela could hear the warmth in his voice,  _ good. At least they can be happy, even so, I don’t know if Chiosca or Lynoosne would want to see a pie decorated like this... _

 

“I know” Gisela said as she started to connect the lines, hiding the Ds and the heart in an intricate geometric pattern.  

 

“We’ll know it's here” she said as she finished hiding the design, “you look very cute together, bye”, she added impishly before darting out off the kitchen.  

 

Even as she ran up the stairs Gisela could feel her temporary mask crumbling to pieces. She slipped into her bed quietly, Ca and Maape were already curled up in their respective beds and looked to be asleep. 

 

She lay in her own, not bothering with the linen sheet and pulled her legs up to her face. Somehow, somehow she had fooled herself into thinking that she wasn’t a stranger in a strange land, that it was just like her own home but it wasn’t. She wanted home. She didn’t fit here.  _ They don’t have any off the same problems. They don’t like magic but why would same sex marriage be something seen as wrong multi-universally. It makes no sense.  _ She felt so stupid as she remembered all the pictures of the two woman kissing in the temple,  _ how did I not put it together.  _

 

Gisela felt hot tears run down her face as she bit back a sob, trying to keep quiet. She didn’t want to wake them, she didn’t want them to see her like this. 

 

She couldn’t let them see her like this, she had no explanation for why seeing two guys kissing and not feeling like it was a big deal at all hurt so much.

 

_ Why am I so upset,  _ Gisela thought, reaching desperately for an answer,  _ I never had a problem with same sex relationships before, I have always been a supporter. Now, here where everyone thinks that way,  _ and she was pretty sure that Mr. Cornwallis’s reaction, or lack of reaction, was normal based on memories and small interactions that she had just brushed off before,  _ it hurts _ . 

 

_ Nobody ever explained this to me,  _ she thought still miserable, still feeling like she had been broken into shards, sharp and breakable. 

 

She knew the answer, culture,  _ I don’t fit here, I don’t think the way that they do. It's just more proof of what I already know, Gisela doesn’t fit here because I don’t fit here, I shouldn’t be here.  _

 

The thought surprised more sobs out of her and she tried to curl up even tighter as she sobbed, unsure of what she was sobbing about.  _ I should be happy, this is great, this is what people back at home dreamed off.  _ But somehow, somehow it still hurt.

 

“Gisela” a sleepy voice muttered from a bed over. 

 

Gisela tried to wipe away her tears but they only started coming faster. She tasted something metallic on her tongue, had she bit it that hard?

 

“Go to sleep Ca” Gisela stuttered out to no avail. She could hear the quiet footsteps padding her way a few seconds before she felt arms around her. Unwillingly she felt herself relax, she had always loved hugs.  

 

“Oh, Gisela, I heard that they were planning to send you with dad next time. It’s going to be great, I’m sure you will be able to learn a lot”

 

_ She thinks I’m sad about Minstrel,  _ Gisela thought incredulously, she hadn’t even thought of that since she had seen Doran and Mr. Cornwallis kissing. The thought off that triggered a new wave of sobs and she tasted more metal as she tried to hold them back, she didn’t want to wake Maape.

 

“Gisela its okay” Ca tried to sooth as she ran a hand though Gisela’s tangled brown hair.  “I know you will miss home and it's okay to be afraid of change but you will be fine.”

 

“It still hurts” Gisela sobbed trying and failing to contain her feelings. “I miss home” she said, seemingly unbidden.

 

“You’re still here silly” Ca said, “and even if you weren’t its okay to miss home. Just don’t let that ruin everything, things change and that's okay”

 

“What if I don’t want them to change, what if I can never go home”, Gisela retorted bitterly.

 

“Then you find a new home,” Ca said and took a deep breath before continuing, “its okay to miss home, I already said that. But you can’t stop living your life because you are can’t go back. After our grandma and grandpa died I was really sad- but they wouldn’t have wanted me to be and it's the same way. They were my home and I can never go back to them. It’s okay to miss home but you can find new homes, if- if we were gone then I know I would want you to live”

 

“Why,” Gisela begged, confusion evident in her voice. Ca was trying to say something and Gisela could almost grasp it but it slipped out off her reach like a ghost, like the magic Gisela was trying so hard to harness.

 

“Because you’re my little sister, silly”

 

Somehow, even in her head Gisela didn’t have the energy to refute that statement.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	8. Chapter 8

Waking up the next morning was odd. 

 

Gisela felt empty, but not the emptiness that came of loss or grief, the emptiness that Gisela was most familiar with.

 

No, this was the emptiness of relief, of having poured out violent, bitter emotion after emotion until she could finally feel again. Until she felt worn and stretched, but in a good way. Like she had run a mile or finished a hard workout.

 

It was a new type of emptiness, and a much more welcome one. 

 

Gisela was pretty sure that she had fallen asleep in Ca’s arms the night before, worn out from crying. 

 

She could feel her cheek color when she thought of how Ca had seen her. That Ca had seen her bawling and broken, but somehow it wasn’t as bad as it had been before. It stung, but not as much as Gisela had expected it to.

 

Crying had been awful, but somehow she felt steadier than before.

 

She straightened out her tangled bed covers as quietly as she could, Ca was already gone but Maape was still sleeping and Gisela didn’t want to wake the younger girl up. 

 

After that it was a quick trip to the bathroom. Averting her eyes from the mirror out of habit Gisela got ready for the day, brushing her teeth and degalting her hair. She grit her teeth as she forced the brush tough the tangled mass.  _ That's what I get for forgetting to brush it,  _ she scolded herself,  _ I should just cut it all off, but then I would have to deal with them… ugh.  _

 

Finally yanking the brush though the last stubborn knot in her hair Gisela pulled a wad of pale brown hair off of the brush and dumped it into the trash. 

 

Wetting a wash cloth Gisela washed off the dried tears and snot that had congealed, removing all traces of her episode the night before. 

 

Hoping she was prepared enough Gisela ducked back out of the bathroom.

 

Changing into a new chiton was easy when all of her clothes were practically the same.

 

Finishing up her preparations Gisela walked down the stairs leisurely, she had school but there was no real rush, she was up with plenty of time. 

 

Ca was already sitting, about to start eating her slice of pie. Gisela hovered by the end of the staircase, unsure if she wanted to go down or not.  _ I have to face her sometime,  _ Gisela reminded herself, forcing her legs to take her into the room and sit down at her spot.

 

“Morning” she said, nodding to Ca, “are Mother and Father up yet?” she asked, curious. 

 

“Nah, think they will be up so though” Ca said. Gisela felt gratefulness well up at how she had not mentioned the night before. It wasn’t that Gisela wasn’t grateful but thinking about how she had fallen apart last night made her want to go to a quiet corner and never come back out.  

 

“Ah. Father is leaving again soon, right” Gisela asked, reaching for a conversation subject.

 

“Yeah, He and Maape are going to go to Fiore and back one more time, they will be back in time for the solstice though. ” 

 

Gisela was about to ask what happened at the solstice, thankfully she remembered. “Eftar’s festival is not very celebrated though, its mainly silence and prayers with no big festival, right”. Now that she thought about it it was funny that the deity known for their playfulness would have such a calm day, maybe that was the point though.  _ I’ll check that out next time I got to the library, I can’t keep spacing out on the festivals,  _ she planned, making a mental note.

 

“You spaced out on the festivals again didn’t you” Ca said, her lips quirking into a quick smile. “I know our family tends to only celebrate a little but you could at least try. Anyways Dad is leaving at the end of this week if the tides allow, so at least try and spend time with him”, Ca suggested dryly.

 

“Thanks for letting me know”. She made a note to talk to him about what she needed to do for the trip to Caelum in the spring, even if she tried to fight it Gisela knew from their expressions last night it was one trip she was not going to get out off.  

 

So she would have to be prepared. 

 

She could do that… she hoped.

 

_ For all the emotion attached this pie it's really good,  _ Gisela thought as she took another bit. The design on top had baked as she planned, without knowing it would be difficult to see the pattern,  _ especially now that I have eaten part of the D.  _ It was good to get away with something, even if it was as small as a design poked on top of a pie.

 

Gisela was just trying to think of away to continue the conversation when Chiosca and Lynoosne came down the stairs, followed by Maape and Gastislion. Gisela was amused to see both of them were rubbing their eyes.

 

“Morning” Ca replied with a flick of her hand, getting groggy replies back.

 

Gisela quickly set about cutting the pie for everyone to enjoy. 

 

“Here you go” she said, passing a slice to Gastislion before handing another plate to Maape. 

Chiosca was already helping herself to a slice of pie so Gisela just sat back on the bench, waiting for something to happen.

 

“So is Fiore your last trip this year Father” Gisela asked as she started to eat again.

 

“Yeah, I’m going to take the Chiosca to Fiore with the last shipment of linen for the year. You’ll be with me on our next trip”

 

“Ah. Do you think the sea serpents will be a problem, it is getting kinda late in the year dear” Chiosca interrupted worriedly. 

 

“The predictions don’t hold any heavy storms for the next few weeks so this trip should be fine and I will be home safe before the season starts. No worries” Lynoosne reassured his wife.

 

“I think I should be getting to school now” Gisela excused herself as she carefully maneuvered off of the bench. 

 

School that day was normal, she talked to Erani and did her math, practiced her Common, which now was a much higher priority, and learned history. 

 

She went back to the library where Ms.  Hytica told Gisela that she had to return  _ The Hidden One,  _ much to Gisela’s disappointment. She consoled herself by reading a book on the Second Trade War. It was a good book but like all the book she had been able to find it just didn’t have the analysis that she was looking for.  _ I probably just don’t know where to look,  _ Gisela reminded herself as she finished reading about how Fiore had exploited magic in order to fight dishonorably. Winning but at the cost of righteous values and surrendering to mages which now ruled the country with the aid of the dominating Magic Council  _ but this is actually a case where history was not written by the victors but by the losers which is pretty interesting. _

 

Gisela did try to go again the next day but found herself distracted by working through the tome on sailing, if she was going to get on a boat she would would be prepared.

 

Then the end of the week was at hand. 

 

Lynoosne set off on his ship with Maape as Gisela watched from the harbor.  Gastislion stood beside her, sulking as he watched the ship take off from the harbor. 

 

The day he was supposed to return they waited at the docks from sunrise to sundown and had to be asked to leave by a dock worker.

 

“The seas can be tricky” Chiosca said, at the dinner table,”he will be back soon”

 

He was not back that week either. More worrying, there were no ships coming back from Fiore. It was like the country had shut down. Or the serpents were so bad that no one could get across, but that hadn’t happened in living memory. The book she had found on it had the last occurrence at around two hundred years ago. 

 

Gisela could see how Chiosca worried, she was constantly getting Gisela or Ca to run down to the harbor and ask the workers if they had heard anything. 

 

“He was supposed to be back by now” became a constant litany in the house. Gisela herself was not immune to it. For all her attempts to keep the Raimu’s separate from her family in her heart she found herself worrying as well. It was hard not to. even if Lynoonse wasn’t her father Gisela had never wanted him to die, Gisela knew all too well how death felt.

 

Ca seemed to grow up even more. She was constantly by Chiosca, trying to calm her down from getting on a ship herself to see what had happened. 

 

It was Gastislion that took it the worst. On night, three days after they had waited by the docks all day for a ship that did not come Gisela found him curled up in the corner of his room. This time it was her turn to hold someone as they cried. 

 

Even Mr. Cornwallis felt the air that had settled over the house. He came in on his day off to help and when Chiosca tried to pay him he waved it off, claiming that “it was his duty to aid when he could”. 

 

It was telling that he didn’t refuse.

 

Gisela wondered what they looked like to him.

 

She didn’t have the nerves to ask.

 

A week after Lynoonse was supposed to return Gisela came down stairs, she had started to get up early to head to the docks and ask for news trading who walked to the docks daily with Ca, to Chiosca talking to a woman in black hemmed robes with elegant blue embroidery. 

 

Chiosca was crying, Gisela couldn't tell if she was happy or sad. Something in Gisela stomach turned and twisted,  _ priests of Qosasis don’t give death notices.  _ Gisela reminded herself, trying to calm down,  _ this could be completely random, they are fine _ ! 

 

It still made no sense.

 

Just then Chiosca saw Gisela, looking more closely at the older womans face Gisela could see that while her eyes were red with tears she saw smiling.

 

The bile recced from Gisela’s throat, though the taste remained. 

 

“No news from the docks”, Gisela reported, feeling guilty.  _ She was just feeling good about something and now I have to ruin it.  _ By this point Gisela was very farmiller with the way that Chiosca’s face would fall, to her shock it did not today.

  
  


Chiosca’s face did not fall. “That was what the priest was here to talk about” 

 

“Why would there be news from the temple”.

 

“Apparently there was turmoil in Fiore for some reason and no ships could leave as well as trade restrictions. There was also a temporary memoriam on communication lacrima, apparently something brought the system down. The temple just was able to get a message through and back. We can expect him back with in the next two weeks”

 

The joy in Chiosca’s tone was evident and Gisela found herself, for once, in agreement with the woman. 

 

“If I may excuse myself. I have other people that I must talk to”, the priest asked politely. 

 

“Of course, I don’t want to hold you. Thank you so much for the news.” Chiosca thanked the priest profusely. 

 

Getting up from the table the woman walked out of the door and Gisela watched as she left the courtyard. 

 

She couldn’t breath. Gisela could barely restrain her full body flinched as Chiosca hugged her.

 

“They’re coming home, they’re coming home”, Chiosca choked out during the hug. It was odd being hugged like this, Gisela could not remember the last time that Chiosca had held her like this. Grabbed her, yes, yanked her around, also yes, but hug her, this was something different. 

 

It wasn’t all bad though and Gisela willed herself to relax in the disheveled woman’s grip. 

 

Just as suddenly as Chiosca had grabbed her, Chiosca released her. “I need to tell your siblings” she said she released Gisela, causing her to stumbled back as Chiosca walked briskly towards the stairs.

 

Gisela stood in the dining room awkwardly, she was glad, so glad the Lynoonse had not been lost at sea or any other of the terrifying possibilities that she had entertained over the past weeks. Even so she did not quite know what to do, did she wait here? Did she head to school? Should she sit down? 

 

Choices, choices, choices.

 

Luckily the choice was made for her as Chiosca came back down the stairs with Ca and Gastislion thundering behind her. 

 

Then it was back to hugging. It was awkward getting so much physical contact after so long with so little but somehow Gisela could not bring herself to pull away.

 

Time seemed to pass oddly when in the hug, it broke only when Gisela looked at the sun and realized- she was late for school.  

 

“You should go” Chiosca said, “I’ll give you a note for the principle, I’m sure he will understand” 

 

“Thanks” 

 

It was odd leaving the house, Lynoonse and Maape weren’t back yet. Weren’t safe yet. Even so Gisela felt a lot better,  _ I didn’t realize how much it was weighing me down.  _ Because it had been. When they were gone Gisela had had trouble meditating, unable to reach even the mirage that she had been able to find. 

 

She had worried, and hadn’t that been different. Gisela hadn’t really worried about people like she did Before.  _ Having an answer is good, I don’t know what I would have done if they had just… disappeared. Like I did.  _ Because in many ways in wasn’t Gisela that had just disappeared, it was everyone she loved. 

 

Gisela knew where she was and how she was doing but she would never get to know how her family was, never get to know how her friends were. Gisela might have been the one reborn but they were the ones that disappeared.

 

_ I can’t think of that right now.  _ Lifting one of her hand’s she smacked her face, using the pain to allow her to focus on the here and now.  _ It’s school Gisela, just get through school. _

 

Just as Chiosca had said the principle accepted Gisela’s note with ease and Gisela slipped into the classroom. 

 

Erani glowered at Gisela as she sat down,  _ I hope I didn’t make her late, I know she really wants to do well here. _

 

_ “I’m sorry”,  _ Gisela mouthed to Eran.

 

Her glowered didn’t abate, “ _ explain later”,  _ she shot back. 

 

_ “I will”  _

 

“Erani”

 

_ Opps.  _

 

“Yes instructor” Erani said and turned away from Gisela.

 

“What is considered to be the “second act” of the Strait War”

 

“The “second act” was when Minstrel attacked Caelum unprevoked, they were able to disable the harbor defenses on the side but the temple was able to keep them out, becoming the center of the push back” 

 

“Well said” 

 

The rest of the class past similarly. It was the end of the unit on the Strait War and they were getting ready for the final test. Gisela found it hard to be stressed, compared to the exams she had had to take for college it just didn’t seem to be such a big deal.

 

Lunch break came pretty fast and the classmates headed to their table. Gisela had no sooner sat down when Erani, still standing, sat herself down at the front of the table. Looking for all the world like a judge about to open her court.

 

“So Gisela, why were you late”

 

“We had a priest of Qosasis visit this morning with news on my father and sister” 

 

“Are they okay”, that was Fenlo, “there were issues with getting communication lacrima to work, my dad was actually called to the temple to see if he could do something” 

 

“As far as we know, yes. They have started back but it is a five day trip so they are not back now”

 

“But the lacrima are working again. Do you know anything about what happened in Fiore. You would think with all the mages running lose a problem like that would be solved faster”, Cierra questioned idly as she ate her lunch. 

 

“Maybe the mages were the problem”, Micklen suggested, “it’s not like it would be the first time so mage fight screwed Fiore over. There is a reason that that country is so chaotic” 

 

“True” 

 

“You guys ready for the test”, Gisela asked, awkwardly changing the subject. 

 

“Like you have to ask, do you even study. It’s like you already know everything” Fenlo asked.

 

“I do”, Gisela retorted, “I read a lot about this in my free time. I also have to learn about sailing because I am going with Father to Minstrel next spring and need to be prepared for that”

“Besides, knowing stuff isn’t bad”, Micklen said, coming to Gisela’s aid. 

 

Lunch was soon over and the rest of the day passed in the same manner. 

 

Returning home the tension was different than before. Now there was a sense of impatience, there was still some anxiety in the background but most of it was just waiting. For all that Gisela did have permission to go the library, it was still conditional and with the extra books on sailing she found she had less time than she had hoped to read. 

 

Even so she was able to go sometimes. Annoyed at being blindsided by the festival of Eveneas she looked up the other dates so she could cememte them into her head. The next day was the Eftar’s, the deity of air and the sky, day.  _ I should be better at remembering them.  _ If Gisela really thought back she could remember them telling her to refeltect.  _ I would be born into a not very religious family when it is family that teaches Keunity. The universe hates me, of course, I already knew that.  _

 

She also ended up still spending time going over the books at the shop with Chiosca and Ca. It was boring work but it filled up time that she could have spent worrying so it wasn’t all bad. 

 

Finally there was school. She brushed up on her history of the Strait War but between the extra Common practice that she already had to do for her eventual trip to Minstrel and the math that she already knew it was the lowest of her priorities. 

 

Finally the week was over. 

 

Today was the estimated day of arrival. 

 

“Are we leaving soon?” Gisela questioned hopefully. 

 

“As soon as Ca gets Gastislion up” 

 

The hope as they headed to the docks was a heady thing. They had come back and forth for days in the blind hope that that day they would see the Chiosca return. 

 

It was that hope that carried then down to the docks and held them there as they watched the horizon. 

 

Waiting.

 

There!

 

“Look” Gisela shouted as she pointed to the square sails that she had seen. A second after she had yelled Ca had spotted them to, pointing them out to Chiosca. 

 

Waiting was somehow even harder now, they were so close. 

 

Finally the ship docked. 

 

It felt like the world was holding its breath as the ship was docked and the gang plank lowered. 

 

Like time had slowed down to nearly a stand still as they waited for people to come down.

 

Then Gisela could see them walking down the plank. Lynoosne and Maape were running down the plank. 

 

Suddenly Gisela was warm.  

 

Oh. 

 

They were hugging each other. 

 

Gisela was held between Ca and Maape and she was folded into the group hug, celebrating as they returned safely. 

 

She could see Chiosca was crying as she grabbed at Lynoosne and brought Maape closer. Gastislion was clinging to Maape as well, he looked as if he wouldn’t let go for anything. 

 

They were home. 

  
  



	9. Chapter 9

Time passed in a blur after Lynoosne returned. She practiced her mediation, growing closer and closer to the mirage before it would (again) drift away. Her birthday came and went with little fanfare, she was eighteen going on eleven now for all that it mattered. In Caelum only certain birthdays were important, the tenth was one, Gisela knew as she remembered her disaster of a party. She was still ignoring almost everything back then and having to socialize with relatives that weren’t really hers hadn’t appealed. At All. Either way she made it through her eleventh, not remembering until Gastislion had reminded her when he asked what it was like to be eleven. 

 

Time continued to pass after that, it waited for no one after all.

 

They didn’t go to the temple for the festival of Eftar, instead Gisela was only reminded of it when Erani mentioned the meditations that she was doing- there were advantages to being in a not very religious place. 

 

Before, she hadn’t been religious at all. Now though, now she wondered sometimes if there was anything else out there. Sometimes. Normally it was easier to see her rebirth as just a trick of faith, just from random chance. There was no great destiny ahead of her, Fairy Tail turned out fine. All she could do is live and try to be the daughter that they lost, even if she didn’t want to be. Even if it didn’t fit right.

 

The festival of Ubphine came on the winter solstice, the renewal of the world with the celebration of the patron goddess. Gisela remember reading that Qosasis had a festival on the same day but there was no mention of that anywhere. Either way it didn’t matter much as this year Chiosca seemed to go all out, relieved after Lynoosne’s return from Fiore. They still didn’t know what has caused the shutdown that time, only that there had been something that riled up the mages of Fiore.

 

On top of the generous offering to the temple they yet again went to the temple for the dance.

 

This time, much to her joy, Gisela got to sit next to Erani. This dance too had magic, both water and light it a swirling show of skill. When mediating during the dance she could also most feel the mirage filtering in her grip. She wanted to reach out and grab it but when she tried it slipped through her fingers. Still it was progress and that was not something that Gisela wanted to complain about. 

 

Magic was still amazing, even if she still couldn’t find much on it at the public library. Even when she asked the librarian she said no luck. _ It would be okay though,  _ Gisela reminded herself as winter started to shift to spring, she was making more progress than she had before.  __

 

Even so she felt the pressure of the ticking clock. Soon she would be leaving Caelum, which, for all of its many issues, was at least farmillier to her for Minstrel. Part of her was interested in what Minstrel was like, she had heard Chiosca comment on their libralness with magic over there enough to inspire hope that maybe she would find advice there but still, it was nerve wracking. She had found a balance in Caelum, looking in the mirror still hurt but she was coping and somehow but somehow it felt like everything would change afterwards. If she sailed. When she sailed. Even if she was coming back. 

 

It was ironic that the last festival held before she was due to leave was the festival of Ycius, god of fire and ureailiabe change. The one who both helped and hurt in the same breathe, due for an existence balanced between helping and pain and stuck between both.

 

Sometimes Gisela could sympathize with that.

 

More than sometimes. 

 

Gisela was tired of change, even if it was the only constant. 

 

Even so, changed ticked on. Time ticked on and after the festival it felt like the long warning that Gisela had been given by them wasn’t enough, that the world was closing in on her and there was nothing she could do but curl up and hope that she survived. 

 

Anticipation was hard, doing things was easy, that was something that had always held true for Gisela and something that she found to be true even now. 

 

The last month was just preparations, she worked things out with the school and made sure that she could speak Common well enough to get by. 

 

She would have too, she wasn’t going to be the person who showed up in another country and expected them to speak her language. 

 

She didn’t want to be that Before and she refused to be that now.

 

Then it was time. 

 

Time to go sail.

 

_ And the sea is marvelous,  _ Gisela thought spontaneously, unsure of where the oddly poetic words came from.

 

They were true though.

 

As per the storm predictions that Gisela had found came out to the temple, may first was a beautiful day for sailing.

 

They had sent off by Chiosca and Ca waving and Gisela had boarded behind Lynoosne alongside Maape and Gastislion. Both of which had ran to preferred places as soon as they were on the ship. _ I wish I felt so comfortable here,  _ Gisela thought, almost jealous of the younger two.  

 

The whole thing felt oddly surreal. Gisela had spent so much time dreading this trip that being on it was downright bizarre.

 

The waves were steady but low and a stiff breeze pushed the ship on.  _ What do they do if the wind dies, I know some ships row but I don’t see oar locks. Lynoosne knows I bet,  _ Gisela rationalized. 

 

Lynoosne had introduced her to his first mate, Kanti. He was a tall broad shouldered man with an easy smile and neon yellow hair.

 

He wasn’t bad, even if Gisela had the feeling that he didn’t know how to moderate his voice. At All. There was no escape from the noise. Her ears were stilling ringing.  Part of Gisela wondered if her senses would ever recover. She hoped so but after that… 

 

Blinking the spots out of her eyes Gisela attempted to think of a plan for what to do. This was her first trip so she didn’t really have any assigned roles other than stay out of the way and learn what you can. 

 

She didn’t have school and had already done the homework that she had been given. With no other plans for the day Gisela decided to mediate.

Finding an out of the way potion of the deck Gisela closed her eyes, settling into a comfortable pose. 

 

_ In… _

 

She stopped thinking about the homework she would have to catch up on.

 

_ Out… _

 

She stopped feeling the cool of the breeze.

 

_ In…  _

 

She stopped smelling salty air.

 

_ Out… _

 

She stopped hearing ripping of the waves.

 

_ In… _

 

She stopped.

 

She reached out in the darkness, holding her hand out to the mirage that haunted her, dancing out of her fingers at the slightest provocation. She beckoned it, drawing it closer with every inhale. She tried to corral the feeling, to hold the feeling close even as it slipped out of her grasp yet again.

 

She was just about to return when she felt it flow into her hands of its own volution, the shock was so much that she fell out of her trance.

 

“Sorry for disturbing you” 

 

Gisela’s eyes were still fuzzy but she could see a person, they were tan with a healthy smattering of freckles on their face with short brown hair. 

 

They were also holding Gisela’s hand.

 

Gisela lurched back, almost falling off the boat, the strange person catching her. 

“And for shocking you”, they said dryly after Gisela had regained her purchase on the boat.

 

“You have magic”, Gisela said dully, unsure of how to react. She 

 

“Anjay Merlani, part time navigator, part time mage, full time sailor. It’s nice to meet you. You’re Gisela, right?”

 

“Yeah. Where did you learn magic”

 

“Where did you learn magic”, Anjay shot back.

 

“I read books” 

 

“That explains it”

 

“Explains what”

 

“You’re so passive, magic is active. If you wait for it to come to you it never will”

 

“But it always slips through my fingers, it's like water” Gisela retorted,  _ I’m doing my best here. It’s not like there is a school I can go to or anything.  _

 

“It’s not water, it's magic” Anjay said sharply. 

“But it feels like water”

 

“If you give magic traits it will have traits” 

 

“But I can’t help what it feels like”

 

“Yes you can. It's just energy”, Anjay said, rolling their eyes. “Anyways, your meditation is pretty good, did you really only learn it from books?”

 

“Yeah, how did you learn”,  _ This is a big chance,  _ Gisela thought, excited. 

 

“School. In Minstrel there are colleges that teach magic”

 

“That’s really cool”  _ I wish I could go to magic college, that would be much easier than trying to decode those books. Not like they explain much magic anyways. All I got was the reaching out and not in tip. _

 

“I guess. I had to take out loans though and now I have student debt”

 

_ Oh. _

 

“You have student debt” Gisela couldn't help but exclaim.  _ Some things really are multiversal, I just wish college debt wasn’t one of them. At least I was gone before I had to try and pay any of my debt.  _ It was funny, that was one of the first times that Gisela was able to think of her death in anything but tragic terms,  _ of course it would be about college debt, it sucked. And it’s here too. I hate everything.  _

 

“Yes I have student debt. It happens. I had a patron who helped me get in but I had to pay my own way, thus debt” 

 

“That sucks” Gisela said flatly, sudden sympathy taking over. “Is that why you are working for father”

 

“Yeah, he pays well and I like sailing, someday I want to be a captain of my own ship, that's a long way off of course. First I have to pay off the debt” 

 

“That's a cool dream. I didn’t realize my father employed mages”  _ I highly doubt that mother would like the idea.  _ Gisela thought, trying not to wince as she remembered her mothers anti-magic pride. The adults seemed to get along well but Gisela did not want to see how Chiosca would react to Anjay’s presence. At All. 

 

“I doubt captain spreads it around. It’s why I’m a part time navigator. He pays me to navigate but also to provide extra wind when the weather isn’t complying or to work with the currents” 

 

“Why are you telling me this” Gisea asked, “what's stopping me from just telling mother that father uses magic”.

 

“I felt someone messing with the currents of ethernanos and checked it out. Imagine my surprise that it is the captain's daughter. You won’t tell because chances are your mother would not approve of your magic any more than mine. You are learning magic too, after all”, Anjay replied, diverting the conversation.

 

“Is there something wrong with that” Gisela asked, glancing around surreptitiously to see if anyone was listening in on them. 

 

“Not to me. I mean you should be careful with magic of course but if you’ve come this far on your own it’s not like I could stop you”

 

“But will you help me?” 

 

“I already did” Anjay said, grinning smugly. It was an annoying grin, Gisela had been trying for so long to get answers and here they were right in her face saying she already had them but she didn’t. She didn’t know.  

 

“How did you help me”, Gisela demanded.

 

“I told you, magic isn’t water. It’s energy. It is but it isn’t you have to grab it and make it real”

 

“That makes no sense”  _ It is real, I can feel it. How do I make it more real. _

 

“Can you give me any more help”

 

“Nope!” 

 

“Can you tell me what your magic is then. You said that you felt a current in the ethernanos, that's the particles of magic, right? And then you found me meditating. But if it was just sensing magic than you wouldn’t be sailing, you would be treasure hunting or something”

 

“For that deduction I waill. I have current manipulation magic, I can guide the winds and the waves with my will. If there is a current than I can use it. Besides outside of Fiore there is not that much good treasure hunting. Really that country is just covered in magical artifacts”

 

“That's a really cool type of magic” Gisela replied wistfully, ignoring the tangent on Fiore.  _ I wish I could bend the currents to my will,  _ she thought and picture herself dancing with the wind, swirling water surrounding her. “How do you get magic like that”. 

 

“It was my natural affinity”

 

“What does that mean”

 

“Materialize your magic and I will explain”

 

“Are you being cryptic for the fun of it” Gisela asked suspiciously.

 

Anjay paused for a moment and tilted their head, thinking. “Sort of, a lot of this stuff is just easier to grasp once you have used magic and not just felt it” 

 

Gisela was about to continue prying, even question she asked she got just a little closer to the answer. She got just a little more information when a bell rung out.

 

“Lunch time, I’m not missing out on this” Anjay said, getting up from the bench and stretching their arms. “Seeya”, she said as she walked away.

 

Gisela didn’t quite know how to react to the abrupt pause in conversation, she had actually been getting somewhere for once and being derailed was frustrating. Even so, she could tell that Anjay wasn’t going to tell her anything else.

 

Getting up Gisela felt her legs ache, she had spent to long in one position, she made her creaky, wobbly way to the dining hall after Anjay.

 

Gisela carefully hobbled down the stairs, following the savory aromas. This was a short voyage, about a day and a half so the food was fresh and very similar to what she would have at home. 

 

Getting a slice of spanakopita pie Gisela looked to see Anjay already sitting with two other members of the crew. She wanted to go sit with them but then, out of the corner of her eye, saw Gastislion waving.   

 

_ Oh well, I can always try to talk to Anjay later, _ Gisela comferted herself as she carefully made her way to sit next to Maape and Gastislion. 

 

“How do you like the ship so far. I saw you wandered off earlier. Have you seen everything yet? Have you been up the crow’s nest yet”, Gastislion asked, his rapid fire questions giving Gisela no time to respond. 

 

“Slow down” Maape said, poking her brother as she rolled her eyes, “give Gisela a chance to respond already”.

 

“The ship is nice, I do not think I have seen everything and no I have not been to the crow’s nest” Gisela replied systematically. 

“Do you want me to take you, it's really awesome” Gastislion said, waving his arms for emphasis.  

 

“Maybe. Don’t you have stuff to do after lunch, I think father wanted me in the cabin to review trade policies”

 

“You say that” Maape said dryly, “but I wonder if you just want to avoid us”.

 

Gisela didn’t know what to say, she wanted to refute that. To say that she did want to spend time with them… but… but she never really tried did she. Yes they lived in the same house and yes they ate meals together but Gisela never really made an effort to spend time with either of her supposed younger siblings. 

 

_ I guess I’m not even as good at hiding it as I thought,  _ she winced at the idea, she didn’t want to hurt the kids. She just didn’t know how to interact with them. She was too old and too awkward, she didn’t know what to talk about or what to play. They had their lives and Gisela had hers and without knowing it Gisela had allowed a gap to form between them. A gap that she didn’t know how to bridge.

 

“Thought so” Maape said, surprisingly coldly for a ten year old.  

 

“I need to go”. Unable to sit there any longer Gisela lept from her seat, grabbing her plate and turning around. The whole time she was dropping her plate off in the small galley kitchen Gisela could feel Maape’s cold eyes bore into her back and picture Gastislion’s sad ones. 

 

She didn’t know what to do.

 

She never did. 

 

She did go up to Lynoosne’s cabin, he had taken lunch in there and was going over ledgers. Instead of attempting to face them Gisela sat down next to the him and got to work.

 

“You need to carry the one” she said as she watched him run the numbers.

 

“You sure” 

 

“Here see”. Gisela pointed to where he had missed the one when calculating the profit.

 

“I guess there is a reason we pay for you to go to a fancy school after all” he said, eyes crinkling as he smiled. 

 

“I guess”. Gisela tried to smile back, hoping that it didn’t come off as too awkward. She debated for a second before deciding to ask her question, “Anjay told me that they were a mage, does mother know?”, she said bluntly.

 

He seemed to freeze for a second before replying, “she won’t if you don’t tell her. Your mother is a very smart woman most of the time but she just doesn't understand how useful it can be sometimes. Her family lost a lot of status in the Second Trade War so don’t hold it against her and I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell her, Anjay is a hard worker and I don’t want to lose them and in a pinch magic isn’t a bad tool to have by your side. Not at all” 

 

“I won’t, I like them too”

 

“I’m glad. Now back to work, time to catch my mistakes”

 

“Sure” Gisela agreed readily, looking down at the scattered papers in front of her.

 

She spent a good afternoon there, going over the ledgers with Lynoosne and making sure that everything added up. He also explained to her how the trade was going to work and why they could turn around so fast, making it such a quick trip. She didn’t leave the office for dinner, instead she ate in his cabin as he explained the plan to her. 

 

By the time she left the cabin it was dark out as she stumbled to the cabin she had put her stuff in at the beginning of the day. She wasn’t revlied that Maape and Gastislion were asleep, she tried to convince herself as she lay in her hammock, unused to the rocking. She wasn't’t. She had just wanted to spend some time doing numbers, it wasn’t a big deal. Not at all. She had had a good time working with numbers and talking about policy and had gotten back a little later than she had expected, she wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed or anything. 

 

Finally, after much tossing and turning, only some of it her fault, Gisela drifted off to sleep. 

 

The next day dawned bright and clear as she walked out onto the deck, blinking her eyes against the bright sunlight. 

 

Slipping out before she could wake her roomates Gisela made her way to the mess where she grabbed a roll. From their she wandered up to the bowsprit. Pushing aside the spare coils of rope Gisela sat down comfortably to eat her breakfast. It was much preferable to the stuffy mess room. 

 

She stayed there watching until she could see Minstrel on the horizon. 

 

“Land hoe” came the loud cry from the crow’s nest in a dual toned voice. 

 

That was all the crew needed for the ship to become a buzz of activity again. Gisela helped make ready for landfall in anyway she could, though there wasn’t much and she soon found herself standing with the rest of the crew while Lynoosne lectured them on the do’s and dont’s of Minstrel. 

 

“We already know this”, one crew mate who's name escaped Gisela yelled out to a bunch of good natured chuckles. Apparently this was something that Lynoosne did a lot. 

 

Either way there was no putting it off any longer, they were in Minstrel.

 

Gisela didn’t have a role in docking the ship so she just watched as everyone else worked in tandem to bring the ship in.

 

Minstrel wasn’t bad. Gisela hung back as her father haggled with the harbormaster on what the docking fee would be. She pointedly did not move away from Maape and Gastislion as they waited. 

 

The rest of the day seemed to follow similar patterns, she shadowed her father down the streets of Minstrel, trying to ignore the odd looks her chiton was getting.  _ It is really obvious that I don’t belong her.  _ She tried to ignore the itch that the multiple stares gave her. It was odd seeing people wear non chition garments,  _ I hadn’t realized that I had gotten so used it it. _

 

She tried to ignore the stares, instead focusing on the signs. 

 

Even so her she was sure that her relief when they got to Lynoosne’s trading partners office was palpable.

 

The trade seemed to go well, Lynoosne seemed to be happy enough as they left. Gisela was still glad when they got back to the ship. Apparently some people hadn’t forgotten the Strait War. 

 

The sea felt almost ominous this time, she wasn’t sure what it was but even once she was on the ship her unease did not abate. 

 

_ It’s probably nothing,  _ Gisela reassured herself, hugging her legs as she sat on the deck for music night. 

 

_ I shouldn't worry… we are almost back after all. _


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff happens. Also I think I will time skip the next arc so it isn't 50000 words before the first canon character :P

No.

 

Gisela saw a serpent burst from the still water of the bay, its teeth bared and releasing an ear smarting cry.

 

She moved.

 

It moved.

 

It was coming. Maape and Gastislion were behind her. She couldn’t let it have them.

 

There were screaming and suddenly her body felt like it was full of leaded rocks. 

 

It was grey around her. Why was it grey around her? 

 

Her head was ringing.

 

She couldn’t let it through.

 

Bile was rising in her throat.

 

Her mouth tasted arcid.

 

She couldn’t let it through.

 

Why wasn’t she dead.

 

Clouds. 

 

Time turned normal as she stumbled out of the strangely solid clouds. Why were there clouds? Where was the serpent?

 

Were Gastislion and Maape alright. She couldn’t let her siblings die. 

 

The sudden twisting of her head intensified the headache. 

 

She couldn’t see the serpent. 

 

Or her siblings.

 

The bile rose up, her mouth tasted bitter and burned as she twisted and release the contents of the lunch that she had just eaten. 

 

Someone was taking to her. 

 

Maybe it was father? She couldn’t see. Couldn’t think. 

 

Two other blurs held onto her, her siblings.

 

They were okay.

 

She was going to take a nap. 

 

She drifted.

 

Gisela woke up with a pounding in her head unlike anything she had ever felt before.  _ If this is what a hangover is like I am never drinking, ever.  _ She thought, dazed as she lolled about in the hammock, trying to ride out the waves of pain that smashed her skull. 

 

What had she done to herself!

 

Then she remembered. Eating on deck, the water got rough. A serpent had burst from the waves. Her siblings frozen. She had moved. Then it was fuzzy.  Grey fuzzy, fuzzy grey. 

 

Were they safe?

 

She didn’t know.

 

That was all Gisela needed to force herself up, willing her headache back through force of will.

 

She grabbed the rough rope of the hammock and slide out, almost tumbling to the floor before she righted herself. 

 

She could do this. She needed to.

 

The stinging of her knees distracted her from her throbbing of her head. That was good. Stumbling against the rocking Gisela made her way to the cabin door.

 

Her hand slid on the knob but she was able to find purchase open the door to the interior corridor. 

 

_ Just keep going.  _ She forced her body to move. She could do this. 

 

Finally she reached the end. 

 

She shoved open the next door and blinked at the bright lights and she stumbled up the steps. She a sharp stab of pain hit her knee as she tripped, falling down a step before catching herself on her hands.  _ I don’t have time for this.  _

 

Finally she made it up the stairs, clinging to the rail as hard as she could.

 

Her vision blurred for a moment before clearing. The deck was a wreck. Gisela could see the ruined railing and the smashed timbers as people worked to repair them. She stood awkwardly unsure of what to do. 

 

She needed to find out what had happened to her family. 

 

She needed to find out why her head was killing her.

 

_ One thing after another,  _ she reminded herself,  _ one thing after another. _

 

“Gisela”

 

Gisela winced as the turning motion intefiyed the already present headache. It felt like an iron band was closing around her skull.

 

“Maape, Gastislion, are they all right?”, Gisela demanded as her father approached. 

 

“There fine, you should still be in bed. Anjay told me that using magic for the first time can leave you a mess”

 

“I used magic” Gisela asked, half dazed with relife.

 

“Yes. We can worry about the consequences latter, now drink this and go back to bed” he said.

 

They were moving? When had they started moving? Father was helping her down the stairs, he was nice, even if he didn’t know her.

 

She was back in her hammock and he was handing her something.

 

“Wha’is it” Gisela asked, slurring her words as exhaustion closed in.  

 

“Anjay told me to have you drink it next time you woke up. It will help with the magic shock”

 

Cluslily, she grabbed the cup. Her hand shook slightly as she brought the drink to her mouth. She felt something cool on her chin, some had dribbled as she swallowed. 

 

Quick as it was in her hand Lynoosne had taken it back, she couldn’t make out where he put it.

The world was blurring again. 

 

“Now sleep” he said as he pulled the light sheet up. 

 

Sleep. She could do that, that would be easy.  

 

Gisela opened her eyes. They felt crusty. She shifted her head, waiting for the pounding headache to start again but to her great joy there were no new waves of pain. Shifting she felt sore, but it was the soreness of exercise, not strong pain.

 

“You’re awake” 

 

Twisting her head Gisela saw Maape looking at her from the next hammock over, her legs dangling out one side. 

 

“You’re alright”. Gisela allowed herself a sigh of relief. She vaguely remembered being told that her siblings were alright but she had been afraid... _ they’re safe Gisela, don’t go there.  _ She kicked herself mentally.

 

“Yeah”, Maape hesitated for a second, kicking her feet. “Do you remember what happened. You know, when it attacked” 

 

“It came from the water and it was going at Gastislion and you. I needed to stop it. Then it's just a gray haze”.  _ I did something, or someone did something and I ended up hurt. I wish Maape would just tell me instead of beating around the bush like this.  _

 

“Yeaahhhh” Maape said again, this time drawing it out. “You should talk to dad soon, I’ll let him know that you are awake and somewhat functional”. As she said that she pushed out of the hammock and neatly landed with not so much as a wobble. She was half way out the door when she turned back, “And Gisela” she said, pausing for a second, “thanks, sis” 

 

“You’re welcome” Gisela said quietly, not sure if Maape could still hear her as she walked down the hallway.

 

_ I hope I find out what is going on soon, last I remembered Maape was pissed at me. What happened between then and now.  _ She tested her legs, they seemed to work,  _ but Maape is getting Fath-Lynoosne and I should wait. I hate being bored. A lot. _

 

Gisela tried to reach out to meditate but it was like someone shown a light in her eyes. Moments after she had quieted herself she jolted out, blinking spots from her eyes.

 

_ That was new.  _

 

Being deapan was fun. It was a great coping mechanism. Even if it was just in her head. 

Gisela was about to try to meditate again when the door opened, revealing Lynoonse and… Anjay? 

 

_ What’s she doing here, it makes sense that he is being my father and all but Anjay is just a crew member. Unless..  _ A nagging suspicion formed in the back of Gisela’s mind,  _ time to listen to what they have to say. Maybe I will actually get some answers this time.  _ She didn’t want to get her hopes up.

 

“What happened Father”

 

“You have magic”, he said flatly. “When- when the serpent attacked you used clouds to make a barrier between the serpent and your siblings”

 

“I used clouds”. It was easy to focus on one detail,  _ how were clouds strong enough to make a barrier.  _

 

“No. You used magic in the form of clouds. Magic… for all we try to rationalize it it isn’t quite rational. You were able to transform and release energy, what you transform and release energy as is clouds. That is your affinity, same as mine is currents. The thing is they weren’t real clouds. Not in the sense that they were just air. In the same way that magical fire doesn’t always burn, magical clouds can block a blow”

 

“Oh. So how do your currents work? Do you materialize some form of heat or-”

 

“I think we should talk about what happens now” Lynoosne said, interrupting Anjay. “While I am glad, so glad that you are safe and that your were able to save”, here is voice cracked a bit, “your siblings you having magic… complicates things” 

 

“Right, it does. What happens to me now?”. Gisela hadn’t meant for her magic to become known, she knew that normal people in Caelum didn’t have magic, that it wasn’t something popular. She had been planning to hide it, to conceal it until she could leave Caelum or just use it in secret. But the way she had used her magic, there was no hiding that. None at all.

 

“We talk to your mother, she will understand that you just wanted to save your siblings. Then we will talk to the temple, now that you have it you need to be trained and taught to use your gift well”

 

“You’re being really rational about this” Gisela couldn’t help but observe. This whole encounter was starting to feel a bit surreal. 

 

Lynoosne rubbed his forehead, he looked like he was trying to stave off a headache. “I’m trying. You always had to be the special child”

“Sorry”, Gisela said, feeling uncomfortable. Things really weren’t working out as she hoped.  “How long till we get back to Caelum”, she asked, trying to keep the conversation somewhat alive. 

 

“It's night now, at the speed we are going we should be back by noon tomorrow, you didn’t actually sleep for that long”

 

“It felt like longer”, Gisela said, surprised.  _ It was been an early lunch-brunch so I guess it makes sense but I really was a mess.  _ She winced, even remembering the headache she had hurt.  _ I hope magic doesn’t always feel like that.   _

 

“Sleep tonight and come find me tomorrow morning. I have some exercises that can help you use your magic now that you have fully reached it” Anjay instructed before pushing off the wall that she was leaning on and leaving the room, leaving Gisela with just her father.  

 

“Gisela” Lynoonse said before trailing off, he hesitated for a second before continuing, “I won’t lie and say that it wouldn’t have been easier for us before you used magic but it doesn’t mean that you are not still my daughter. Chi-your mother will be shocked but she will be fine, I know it” 

 

“Why will Mother be so upset”, Gisela had wondered about that. In Caelum most people seemed not to care or see magic users like janitors, Chiosca seemed to really dislike them. It was easier to think about that than to think about Lynoonse calling her his daughter, or that Gisela didn’t have the energy to refute that. 

 

When she tried all she could think about was the moment when she jumped between her siblings and death. She had been trying to keep herself distant from them so it didn’t hurt, that moment had shown her it would.

 

And now, now she wasn’t sure where she stood or of anything except that nothing would be the same anymore. The balance had been broken and now they would have to pick up the pieces. Somehow. 

 

Lynoonse was silent for a moment, then he started to speak again. 

 

“She's proud. Your Mother’s family has worked their way up for nothing over the years and magic… your mother sees magic as something that could risk the status that her family and her have worked so very hard for. I’m sure she will except that magic doesn’t have to hurt the family, she just might take a little time. Be kind to your mother, she is doing her best in the best way that she knows”

 

“I will try”, Gisela said, unsure if it was a promise or not. She felt her mouth stretch open into an involuntary yawn.

“I should go”, he said, getting up from Maape’s hammock. “It will be okay, Gisela, it will be okay”. He left, leaving Gisela unsure of whether he was talking to her… or to himself. 

 

Either way, she wished she could share his faith. Gisela’s plans didn’t seem to be working out. Trying to put the negative thoughts out of her head for a moment Gisela turned over in her hammock, willing herself back to sleep. 

 

The sharp cold woke her up. Startled Gisela flung herself out of the now damp hammock, landing on the floor with a harsh thump. 

 

Dazed, Gisela looked up into the unrepentantly grinning face of Anjay, bucket in hand.  _ Someone's having to much fun,  _ she thought bitterly. It wasn’t her either. 

 

“Was that necessary”, Gisela complained, lying flat on the slightly rocking floor. She could taste salt in her mouth, it was gross. 

 

“I’ve always wanted to do that”, Anjay said, stilling smirking. Gisela had the sudden desire to punch someone,  _ imagine that. They seemed much nicer yesterday. _

 

“Congratulations”, Gisela replied sarcastically. 

 

“Thank you. Now come on, we are burning daylight. You need to be ready before you get the shore”

 

Right. Anjay was going to help her, had they decided on that yesterday? Gisela couldn’t remember. Not wanting to risk another bucket of water and, even if she didn’t want to admit it to her smirking tormenter, excited to learn magic Gisela shoved herself off the floor. 

 

“Sela’wha” 

 

Turning at the noise Gisela saw that Gastislion was somewhat awake, “it's nothing, go back to sleep” she whispered before turning back to Anjay. “Give me a moment to change out of this”, she gestured to her now wet chition. 

 

Anjay tilted their head, “fine, but be out soon. Otherwise…”. They raised to bucket theatenigly, eve though she knew it was empty Gisela flinched. 

 

After detmering that Gisela was suitably threatened Anjay turned around, leaving the room. 

 

Gisela rushed through getting ready, she didn’t really have many clothes having not packed much for the trip but her first chiton was only slightly dirty and, more importantly, it was dry. Dryness was not Gisela’s current state, no matter how much she wished that it was. 

 

Quickly swapping garments Gisela slipped out, trying not to wake them more that she already did. Getting out onto the deck Gisela could see that the sun was barely rising above the horizon. 

 

“Really”, she asked, glaring at Anjay as she emerged from the depths of the ship.

 

“You need time to practice. Captain said you need to be able to demonstrate your magic. Even without that don’t you want to be able to summon your clouds without passing out” 

 

“Yeah... “ Gisela said, not wanting to concede. 

 

“Then we better get started. You meditated to reach out right? Like that except with more pull” 

 

Gisela tried.

 

_ In… _

 

She stopped thinking what she was going to do about family

 

_ Out… _

 

She stopped feeling the chill of an ocean morning

 

_ In…  _

 

She stopped smelling mix of salt and wood that she had soon learned was ship central. 

 

_ Out… _

 

She stopped hearing the rustling of the wind, they way it blew through the sails.

 

_ In… _

 

She stopped.

 

She reached.

 

Beckoning. 

 

Warm.

 

She had been expecting the light from the last time that she had tried to meditate but it still felt her feeling almost blinded. 

 

She pushed through it, reaching out.

 

She felt something answer.

 

Opening her eyes she saw a slight fog around her hands. It felt warm and safe. As soon as it came it dispersed, blown apart by the wind.

 

“Not me”, Anjay said, raising their hands in a gesture of innocents. “Not a bad try, this time see if you can get it to stick around for longer. Not much worth in a fog hand”

 

“Right”

 

Over the course of the next hour and a bit, gauging by the sun, Gisela slowly pulled more energy out, creating thicker and thicker clouds by Anjay’s coaching. Soon she found herself feeling winned. 

 

“How do I shape it” Gisela asked, panting as she used her knees to support herself.

 

“You’re not a maker style mage so you have to manually shape it” Anjay instructed, “will it to move how you want, don’t try and picture an object. I doubt that would work for you, you’re too much of a manipulator”

 

“What's the difference?”. 

 

“Maker magic uses concepts and ideas of already existing objects as the templates for the magic’s expression. They are able to materialize almost anything- so long as they already know what they are shaping. It is less flexible but the extra force that the idea gives the magic can make it stronger. Manipulators manually shape their magic. When you shift your clouds you are not trying to make a glove, correct?”

 

“Yeah. Which are you?”,  _ currents don’t really match either of those… _

 

“Neither. I’m not an elemental magic user, my magic affinity is more off a concept than yours. If it is a current and I am strong enough I can take hold of it with my consciousness and wield it.”  _ That's cool,  _ Anjay raised their eyebrow, “Now isn’t it time you get back to work”.

 

“Yes Anjay”

 

By the time that it was about eight Gisela could reliably call clouds to dance around her. She was also incredibly hungry.

 

“Let's break now”. Anjay stretched, pushing off the barrel that they had sat on to watch Gisela. “Magic burns a lot of energy, especially at first while your body is getting used to it”, they explained as they walked to the mess with Gisela. 

 

“You should sit with your siblings”. Anjay gestured to where Maape and Gastislion were eating their breakfasts.

 

Seeing that Gisela was hesitated Anjay gave her a light shove. 

 

_ Oh boy.  _ Not even paying attention to the food that she had gotten Gisela took a seat at the table, acting on auto pilot.

 

_ At least I’m not the only awkward one here,  _ Gisela thought forcing herself to be positive as she stared at her siblings.  If they were. Gisela wasn’t sure if she would want to be her own sibling. 

 

“You have magic”. Gisela loved Gastislion, he was great at breaking awkward silences. 

 

“Is it new?”. That was Maape always asking questions.

 

“Yeah, just got it when…”. The serpent rose up in her mind's eye, teeth bared are roaring. 

 

“Thanks” 

 

Gisela ducked her head. She knew why she had pulled away but.. But given how she had acted, given that when it had come down to it it was all for nothing. Well...

 

“I’m sorry”.  She could try to do better. 

 

She raised her head, confused. That had been more than just her voice. 

 

“I know you are my sister Gisela, even if you suck at showing it”, Maape explained.

 

“Sorry for not being a good sister” Gisela said, feeling guilty for all the times she had ignored the younger girl. 

 

“Lets both be better”, Maape offered. 

 

“Deal”

 

After that things got less awkward and Gisela returned to attempting to eat her body weight in food. She even had to get up for a third serving.

 

After that she went back to working with Anjay, practicing channeling the ethernanos through her body and creating her “clouds” .

 

“Land ho”. Turning her head at the voice Gisela could see Caelum in the distance, she was almost home. 

 

Her stomach flipped over. Ly-Father had been okay about her magic but Chiosca had always been much louder in anti-magic.

 

_ No way to go but through,  _ Gisela reminded herself.

 

Anjay had excused themselves and declared the practice over, having had to go do her real job.

 

All Gisela could do was wait.

 

Finally she could see them. Waving from the docks were Chiosca and Ca. A sick feeling rose in her stomach. 

 

There was no avoiding it. Gisela helped as much as she could to prepare for docking, using it to get her mind off the nerves that left her feeling as if she was vibrating.

 

She couldn't do this.

 

She had to.  

 

Finally it was time. The gang plank was lowered and Gisela stood behind her siblings, antsy for a completely different reason.  

 

Father put a reassuring hand on Gisela’s shoulder. She did her best not to pull away, she decided to be better. 

 

Then they were walking down the plank, the ship secured to it's mooring point. 

 

It was easy to hang back as the rest of the- her family recombined into a hug. At least until Maape dragged her in. Apparently Maape was trying to be better too. 

 

Then they were away from the crew, Chiosca had gotten antsy when Lynoonse had left with them, leaving the ship in the hands of it's first mate.

 

Standing in one of the quiet groves outside the temple district Lynoonse explained. 

 

_ I was right about things changing. _

  
  
  
  



	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The temple starts

Chiosca seemed to freeze as Lynoonse told her about the ship and the serpent. Gisela saw her eyes widen with fear when he described the attack, the way the monster had shattered the ships rails and almost crashed through the hulls. The way that it had attacked Gastislion and Maape but nothing compared to her reaction when he told her about Gisela’s clouds. 

 

She seemed to freeze, unsure of how to react. Gisela could see the different emotions crossing her face, to fast to seperate. No way to tell how she would fall, nothing Gisela could do but listen to the story, the ball rolling out of her control.

 

Gisela couldn’t help but notice he skated over Anjay, instead saying that Gisela had learned what control she had on her own. 

 

The there was silence. 

 

Gisela stood awkwardly near her siblings,  she had called the clouds that came easier and easier as a demonstration.

 

They were still wispy and insubstantial but they were there. There was nothing else she could do though. 

 

She watched as Chiosca took in a breath, visibly steading.  _ Now what happens. _

 

“We need to go to the temple” she said shortly, glancing at each of them it turn. When her eyes met Gisela’s Gisela returned her gaze steadily. 

 

She was nervous and hesitant but she wasn’t going to protest. She knew enough about control not to. She had no desire to repeat the headache. Ever. Besides, the crew had seen her clouds and things like that always found a way out. Always. Even so Gisela could feel the strings of guilt for putting these people in this place. 

 

She had loved magic, loved the idea of having power and wanted it desperately. Even so she hadn’t planned on letting them know. It would have been her secret, something that she held close when she tried to think about why she was reborn. What she could do now. 

 

She hadn’t predicted the guilt. She glanced away from Chiosca, still unable to tell what the women felt. She looked at Lynoonse’s eyes instead.

 

It was worse. The tension there was obvious and Gisela felt her gut curdle in guilt,  _ nice job,  _ she lectured herself,  _ you can’t even do fake daughter right. It's your fault, canon!Gisela probably was just what her family needed and not you.  _ It was all her fault.

 

He looked away first, breaking the stare. 

 

“I’ll take the other kids to the well for the offering and then home, Kanti can take care of the ship, he has worked for me for awhile, I trust him” Lynoonse volunteered himself as he gestured to Ca, Gastislion and, Maape, all of whom were standing around almost as awkwardly as Gisela. 

 

_ An achievement,  _ she thought bitterly.  _ Is me being alone with Chiosca supposed to help anything? I don’t even know what to say to her? Sorry about the magic, I know you think it is something below us. Oh, and by the way I’m not your daughter either, I’m a reincarnated adult stuck in the body of an eleven year old who can barely function. And magic. Again.  _ It was easier to rant then to speak. She had known that for a while.

 

Gisela wanted to speak, to ask Lynoonse and the rest of her family, even if they really weren’t her family, to stay but she couldn’t find the words. 

 

Instead she stood awkwardly as they turned. It felt like her legs were concrete and her mouth was glued shut. She wanted to say something, but couldn’t. She wanted to move, but couldn’t. All she could do was watch.

 

She was so tired of things she couldn’t do, people she couldn’t reach.

 

He waved. Right before Gastislion turned around the bend leaving the shaded nook he looked back and waved, a quicksilver grin flashing across his face. Feeling as if she was puppeting the body Gisela picked up an arm and waved back, unsure if he had seen it or not. 

It was something. Sometime that was all you could hold on to.

 

Chiosca reached out, lighting fast in a framillier maneuver. Gisela watched apathetically as her arm froze halfway between her and Gisela’s wrist. An aborted attempt at a grab.

 

That was a change. Gisela tried to meet Chiosca’s eyes but she glanced away.

 

“Let's go”, Chiosca said, stilted. 

 

“All right”, Gisela replied, still feeling as if she was wading through molasses, like the world was stilted and still.

 

_ Nowhere to go but forward,  _ she thought to herself. She hadn’t used that one in a while. 

 

Chiosca turned, fast enough that Gisela saw her chiton flow out. The she followed. She could at least do this right.

 

The rest of the way they walked in solemn silence, both unable or unwilling the break the tension that had formed. There always had been a wall between them, now it felt almost palpable. 

 

The main temple was on the water but away from the docks, it was a beautiful area. Here was one of the few areas in the walled city of Caelum that nature had been allowed to flourish, not pulled up for housing or trade. Normally Gisela would have been thrilled to have a chance to walk through the almost wood.

 

Normally. 

 

She found herself anxious as she walked after Chiosca, not sure which way the women was leaning. 

 

Suddenly Chiosca stopped, turning so fast that Gisela almost bumped into her. 

 

It was a tableau that neither knew how to break. The stood in the path for a moment, still again.

 

“You haven't disgraced the family fully”, Chiosca said. Gisela couldn’t tell if she was trying to be comforting, “it would have been far better if you hadn’t had magic. You could have been a tailor or a sailor. But still... “, Chiosca trailed off again here, “I’m glad you saved my children, for that I’m proud of you. You can still be a credit to the family Gisela, use your magic, grow and prove yourself high ranking. Even when you were quiet you were good at books, your tutors loved you. Learn, grow, prove that you are still a Raimu, even if you are a mage”. Chiosca’s gaze turned heavy as she lectured.

 

“I will”,  _ no way to go but forward.  _ She repeated to herself. 

 

Then it was back to walking.

 

They arrived at the main temple both to soon and too late. Together they approached the gate.

 

There was a women in blue robes standing at the entrance, she watched them approach with steady deep blue eyes, “Do you have an appointment?” she called out as they came closer, “it's not time for open prayer”

 

“We need to see the high priest of Qosasis” Chiosca demanded, head held high.

 

The woman laughed.  _ I’m glad someone's amused _ . “You really need an appointment for that, besides what business would you have with her anyways”.

 

“Gisela,”, Chiosca said, turning to face the girl, “show her”

 

Gisela closed her eyes, steading herself. The she reached, first it was out then it was in. She focused the feeling on her hands, when she opened her eyes two clouds shimmered, one in each hand.

 

“That's why”, Chiosca said, gesturing to Gisela’s clouds. “Gisela has magic, that is the temples business, correct?”.

 

In another circumstance it would have been funny how fast the women’s face changed colors, her pale skin seemed to get even paler. “Come in, I’ll see what I can do” she said, moving efficiently. 

 

Gisela and Chiosca closed the gap between them and the doors, It was not the huge door that was thrown open like on festival day, instead it was a smaller door that had been cleverly cut in. It swung open quickly, it was obviously well used. 

 

_ Nowhere to go but through,  _ Gisela reminded herself as she walked in, a step behind Chiosca.  

 

They were lead through a different path than the one that Gisela remembered from the last time she was here, though they passed the same mosaic in the hallway. 

 

“I’m Senya”, Senya said, a complete non sequitur.  _ Now that I think about it,  _ Gisela realized,  _ I don’t really know any of the priests names- not that I’ve met many,  _ she rationalized. “Your names are?”

 

“Chiosca, and like I mentioned this is Gisela?”

 

“And she is your daughter?”

 

Chiosca paused for a moment, almost imperceptibly. Almost. “Yes, Gisela is my second daughter” 

 

“Do you know anyone in your family who is bless” she changed her word at the last moment, “who has magic”

 

“No”, Chiosca said sharply, “Gisela is the first one”

 

“Makes sense. You’re the Raimu’s right?”

 

“Yes” 

 

Senya seemed to shrug and then went quiet as they went deeper into the temple. They stood in front of a door that had glowing words etched on it in circles,  _ runic magic,  _ Gisela thought with awe. She tried to make out when Senya did to no avail, she simply did not have enough background to make heads or tails of the door.  

 

_ Oh well,  _ Gisela thought, trying to comfort herself,  _ maybe I can find more out later? Hope springs eternal.  _ They walked while down the passage, hewn out of the same cool grey stone as the rest of the temple.

 

A person, Gisela couldn’t tell their gender identity walked past them. It was easier to meet a strangers eyes than someone she knew. That was something. She wasn’t sure what that said about her.

 

They kept walking a little ways after that, Gisela soon lost track of where they were in the veritable warren of tunnels.  _ I wonder how far this stratchs, it can’t all be just below the temple. It is big but not that big. Maybe it expands outward somehow? But why done we- _

 

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Senya starting to talk again, “anyways at the bottom of these stairs is the office. You two can wait in the antechamber while I talk to the high priest” 

 

“Thank you”, Gisela said quietly.

 

Chiosca said nothing. 

 

Senya seemed to want to tell Gisela something, she opened her mouth than look over Gisela’s shoulder and shut it again.

 

The chairs in the antechamber weren’t bad, while they were not the most comfortable thing that Gisela had even sat on they did not seem to have the goal of activity causing discomfort.  _ Unlike some chairs I could think of.  _ She leaned back balancing the chair on two legs before a sharp sound startled her. She let the chair drop back onto all fours, somehow managing not to fall off and hit her head on the cold stone floor.  _ Small mercies,  _ she reminded herself, trying to keep her mind off what waited for her behind that door. 

 

“Senya knocked on the door, leaving them behind to sit”

 

If Chiosca wasn’t there than Gisela might have been tempted to go up to the door and see what she could hear.  _ They probably have some sort of magic to block eavesdropping, if something like that exists that is. I would be surprised if it didn’t.  _ It was easy to focus on magic, to focus on construing, to focus on something. It kept her mind of Chiosca’s precise. Off just how much off a mess everything was. 

 

Even so she was running out of new distractions at a rate to fast for comfort. Literally. 

 

Without the distraction of the new place the sick feeling in her stomach rose again. Waiting was painful. The room was well lit with the magic lights but due to the lack of exposure to the open air it was hard to tell time. It could have been anywhere from fifteen minutes to hours before the door open. Senya exited, the smile on her face gave Gisela hope for good news, or at least news that didn’t suck. 

 

That would be something.

 

“The High Priest will see you now” Senya said, sound far more formal than she did on the way there. 

 

_ Nowhere to go but though _ , Gisela reminded herself as she pushed up from the chair, Chiosca doing the same thing.  

 

_ For the fact the it was a mages office, it looks remarkable normal,  _ Gisela mused as she glanced around the space.  _ Really it looks just like the principal's office.  _ It had stacks of books and a desk covered in paper, the only differences were the mage lights on the walls and the arcane symbols she could see on some of the papers.

 

“I’m glad you like my office”

 

Gisela felt herself blush as she looked back up from the desk to the person sitting.  _ Way to make an impression,  _ she berated herself.

 

She was about to apologize when Chiosca interrupted her, I apologize for my daughter’s importance and for the sudden meeting and we thank you for your time as we know you must be very busy”

 

“It is fine”, the priest said stiffy, “I understand that my office can be fascinating. It is nice to meet you both”, she paused for a moment, switching her gaze over to Gisela. “Now I hear you have awakened your gift. Will you please demonstrate for me”. It was phrased as a request but somehow Gisela had the feeling that it was anything but. 

 

She took a deep breath, she could do this.

 

Once again Gisela called up her small clouds, swirling them around her body. Impulsively Gisela made this disperse into mist that shimiered under the mage light, creating flicking rainbows that slowly faded back into the warm yellow glow.

 

“Cloud affinity correct”, the priest said, marking something down on a paper. Gisela was tempted to peak but she didn’t want to mess this up as well.

 

“I think so, that has always been what I can call”

 

“Right, I assume you’re shaper not creator” 

 

“Shaper and creator? I talked to a mage who called me a manipulator”

 

“They were from Minstrel then. Here we use shaper and creator, you would be shaper”

 

Gisela wanted to ask if magic was different here or if it was just terminology but looking at the stern, sharp eyed women in front of her she couldn’t muster the courage to ask. “Alright”, Gisela said, settling for a short acknowledgement.

 

“Alright. You will have to stay with us, Gisela” 

 

“Why?”, Gisela couldn’t help but ask. The house didn’t quite feel like home but it familiar, she knew it. She knew what she had to do, even when she didn’t want to do it.

 

“Control, as a new mage your gift might be unpredictable and you need proper schooling”, her she started to look past Gisela, “I trust that will not be a problem Chiosca” 

 

“No, we will not contest that. Magic does belong with magic”, Chiosca said evenly. Gisela wasn’t quite sure what the mixture feelings in her stomach were but they weren’t pleasant. 

 

“Good. She will be allowed to make visits home on occasion when we deem it acceptable”

 

That is fair” 

 

“Right”. Pushing the paper she had been writing on to the side the women got up. She was surprisingly short for all of her presence. “Seyna”, she called sharply.

 

“Yes” the other woman called, popping back into the room.

 

“Show Gisela around please while I finalize things with Chiosca. Also I trust that you did leave someone to watch the gate”

 

“No worries”, Senya said, waving her hand.

 

The other women bustled her way into the room nodding briefly at Gisela, “you are joining the temple, than? It will be good to have more water mages around even if your second specialty is air”.

 

_ Right, air is Eftar’s element.  _ Somehow in all her excitement about gaining powers Gisela had forgotten the fact that this was a temple. “May I ask what you can do?”, she said trying to be formal as they walked back into the antechamber.

 

“I am a mage gifted with water shaping”

 

“Can I see?”, Gisela couldn’t help but ask, “also how do I refer to you?”. She didn’t want to make a bad impression.

 

“Priest Senya works since I think I will be guiding you for now. In general use priest as the respected title and adjust for formality”

 

“Thank you”  

 

“You wanted to see my magic right?”, Priest Senya said, her mouth curving into a mischievous smile. 

 

“Yeah”

 

Priest Senya seemed to debate with herself for a moment before deciding. She changed directions and led Gisela back up the stairs and through a side corridor. 

 

Inside the room was a small fountain, and a few stalls.  _ Of course a temple would have bathrooms, they are human too.  _ It was funny how she had somehow spaced out on the as needing basics like that,  _ I hope I can cook here, that would be nice at least until...right.  _

 

“You ready” Senya asked, snapping Gisela out of the funk that she had been building.

 

“I am”, Gisela said, nodding slightly as she shoved those thoughts onto a mental shelf.

 

A blue circle appeared under Priest Senya, much like the faint grey ones that appeared with Gisela’s clouds, as it did the water moved. It floated away from the fountain and swirled around Senya, following her motions in an elegant display of aqua.

 

She allowed it to swirl around herself for a few moments as Gisela watched, transfixed before she sent back into the fountain. 

 

“That was awesome”, Gisela said in an awed tone. It was hard not to be enthralled by magic like that.

 

“Thanks” the older woman said, her smile highlighting her bright blue eyes. “Anyways I should give you the quick tour before we head back the the High Priest’s office, I think she should have things sorted out with your mother soon”

 

“Right”

 

The tour was pretty quick, Priest Senya showed Gisela the marks that they used as signage, they were worn down by time but still visible if one knew where to look. Apparently they were designed to be unobtrusive a remnant of the time before Caelum was united, over five hundred years ago. “Nothing to worry about now”, the priest had said with a wink, apparently fully involved in her role as tour guide. She also did confirm Gisela’s guess that the temple expanded beyond the grounds of the above ground temple, “it's an open secret, it's fine if they know but don’t tell anyone” she advised Gisela.  

 

“Thank you for the tour”, it had been quick and Gisela was sure that she was going to get very lost very quickly in the warren of tunnels that made up the temple of Qosasis but even so it was nice to have some idea what was going on. She had to hold onto small mercies, they were what she had. 

 

As they made it back down the stairs to the office Gisela saw Chiosca exit. Their eyes meet, again, and just like before Gisela did not know what to say. 

 

Yet again, Chiosca broke the silence, “I worked it out so you can visit once a month. It appears that you will be busy with temple business but I expect that you will be able to spare the time. Either way I expect you will conduct yourself in a way that befits a Raimu, even here you will have an effect on the familles reputation and I expect it to be a good one” 

 

“Right”

 

With that Chiosca sat down.

 

“Lets go”, Priest Senya said, chiving Gisela into the office. 

 

“I expect your mother told you that you will be living with us?”, she didn’t even wait for Gisela’s nod before she barreled on, “We will send people to get your appropriate stuff tomorrow, tonight you can use one of the spare robes. One of our other innates has a double so you will be rooming with her. Priest Senya will assist you with catch up lessons until we can best determine a mentor for you” 

 

“Thank you” Gisela said, uncertain of what else to say.

 

The woman seemed to soften for a moment, “don’t worry, you are new so people will understand if you are not perfect at first. Qosasis is kind and gives time for people to learn their path” 

 

“Thank you” Gisela said, this time a little more certain. Then she yawned, exhaustion creeping up on her. She wasn’t sure quite how much time she had spent in the temple but it had been a long day, working on her power with Anjay in the morning, then landfall and the temple.

 

“Priest Senya, will you please show our newest innate to innate Ilya’s room? It appears that she is getting tired”

 

“Thank you for your time”, Senya said, as she chived Gisela out of the room. Gisela shifted under her sympathetic glance, “magic can be tiring at first, Ilya, your roommate, will show you to breakfast tomorrow and I will show you around more than. Just rest tonight, introductions tomorrow will be tiring enough with a full night of sleep” 

 

“Thank you for the advice” Gisela said, stifling another yawn, now that people had mentioned it she really did feel sleepy.

 

She followed her guide back up the stairs, this time she recognized one of the tunnels a little but it was still very fuzzy. A few turns later they went down a different set of stairs. The doors here all had wooden name plates on them. They passed by the first few before stopping at a door with only one plate, “this will be your room for now, we will work on getting your plate later. I believe that there is a spare chiton in there for you to where to breakfast tomorrow”. As she spoke she opened the door. Gisela found it harder and harder to control her slowly leading limbs, she was ready for bed.

 

“Go on”, Priest Senya said. Gisela didn’t want to see the expression on the womans face. Taking her advice she went over to the non personalized side of the the room.

 

“Thanks”, Gisela said, waiting for the older woman to close the door.

 

The room was dim with a glowing crystal on the other desk providing what illumination there was. Gisela considered trying to fiddle with it but didn’t want to break anything. 

 

Instead she contented herself with flopping down on the bed. It was firm, but not overly so. Not even bothering to pull up the sheet Gisela found herself drifting off.

 

_ I have to make this work…. _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I referenced a canon character in this chapter! Guess who!

“-up, it's time to get up” 

 

Gisela opened her eyes cautiously, still half asleep. She kept her head down reflexive, she didn’t want to hit Ca in the forehead, again. 

 

Wait?  _ Where’s Ca,  _ Gisela thought, glancing around the room. It wasn’t her room. Then it all came back to her, the ship, the serpent, the temple. She had finally be given away. She wasn’t at the house anymore. 

 

“You awake yet?” 

 

Gisela sat up, jerking her head sharply. Sitting on the other bed was a girl with deep brown skin, contrasting with her peach colored hair and grey eyes. Gisela flondered, unsure of what to say. Last night she had just crashed, she hadn’t thought much about the fact that she had a roommate or anything. 

 

“I’m assuming you are”, she said bluntly. “They left your change of clothes on your dresser, you should probably get dressed soon. Breakfast ends at eight trying to beg food off the kitchens is a pain. You were allowed to miss morning prayer this morning but I would not count on getting the same favor in the future”

 

“Thanks”, Gisela said, unsure of what to say. 

 

“I’m Iya. It's my job to show you around” the older girl said, somewhat stiffly. Gisela had the feeling that she had not been expecting this anymore than she had. She was also pretty sure that Iya knew her name, even so it was something that Gisela could do to fill the silence. She wasn’t great with people but she had to try. 

 

“Gisela, Gisela-”, she hesitated for a second unsure if she could or not.  _ Chiosca never said I couldn't, _ she reminded herself as she recalled her last parting with the women. It was funny, she had spent so long hating her name but now she was clinging to it. The power of familiarity.  “Raimu”.  _ I wonder why she didn’t use her last name… _

 

“Right. First advice. Don’t use your last name. A lot of us”, Iya trailed off for a moment, “a lot of us are outcasts, we don’t have last names. At least, not ones that we can use” 

 

“Thanks” Gisela repeated. Any advice helped, with the mess she had already made out of her life she needed it. 

 

“Right, now. Breakfast, I’ll wait for you outside” 

 

With that Iya left, Gisela had the feeling that the older girl was a very abrupt person.

 

There were no mirrors in the room. The night before it had been dark save for the same light. Now that light had been somewhat turned up, illuminating the small room. Other than the two beds and the dressers there wasn’t really much. Iya had a few drawings hung above her bed and what looked like a… dream catcher? Gisela didn't see one of those in forever. She pushed down the pang of longing that the sight gave her. 

 

There wasn’t a mirror. Gisela tried not to think about how relieved she was. The chiton was pretty similar to the one that she had been wearing before save for the fact that the belt was grey and the fabric was a little rougher. It was quick to change out of her slightly ripped, still smelling of the sea chiton that she had been wearing before. She took a second to inhale, not quite meditating but trying to calm down before she had to face the day, to face the people.

 

_ Nowhere to go but though,  _ Gisela reminded herself as she pushed open the door, heading back out into the hallway.  _ Nowhere to go but through. _

 

Iya set a brisk pace though the halls as she defitly navigated the turns faster than Gisela could orient herself. She wanted to ask about directions but… but she didn’t want to be more of a bother. Iya was being nice enough to show her around after all. 

 

The tunnels were pretty similar, old grey stone wethered smooth by years of feet going across is and a sense of age over the entire place. It was surprisingly dry though, the part of Gisela that wasn’t dancing in her stomach was trying to figure out how it stayed so dry. She would have to ask sometime,  _ just not now.  _

 

It felt like no time at all before they, after walking up a flight of stairs, entered a long hallway with, more, stone walls and an arched ceiling. There were also the ubiquitous magic lights, somehow even though Gisela had seen them quite a bit she still wasn’t tired of seeing them.  

 

There was one study wooden table that spaned the length of the room with seats set all along it. The table had serving dishes and Gisela could make out a few of the traditional foods, it was an odd comfort but somehow seeing something that she recognized helped to settle her stomach a litte. It wasn’t much but it helped. It was something. 

 

Switching her attention from the food Gisela shifted to looking at the people sitting at the tables, trying to figure out what she should do. 

 

She didn’t want to mess this up as well.

 

Maybe half of them were filled by teens in temple clothes, eating breakfast before they started their days. The other table was perpendicular to the first and raised, so it commanded a view of the entire room. Here Gisela saw adults sitting down an eating. One of them, a dark skinned women with sandy colored hair looked up as Gisela entered following behind Iya. 

 

Gisela couldn’t help but shiver slightly as her eyes meet the women’s call brown ones in a momentary stare.  _ That was something,  _ Gisela thought, more unnerved than she already was. 

 

“You’re new so you will sit lower down on the table, don’t go up past the first quarter without being invited by someone” Iya explained, gesturing to the table. “The head table is where the full priests eat, innates like you won’t be sitting there for a while. Food is good, though someone like you might have to lower their standards a little”, she continued. By the entranced there was a cart set up with simple plates, bowls and, other silverware. Grabbing a set Gisela followed Iya to the pointed out spot on the table. 

 

Sitting down Gisela filled the plain, study bowl that she had grabbed with the off white porridge. Stirring it Gisela had to hold back her face of repulsion, she hated oatmeal and a of its derivatives, especially if they had raisins. Raisins made everything worse.  

 

She turned her head to see Iya watching her expantaly,  _ she wants me to refuse it.  _ Gisela realizes,  _ she expects I won’t eat it and that I will do… what?  _ She didn’t know what Iya expected from her.  _ I need to get along with her,  _ Gisela reminded herself as she stared at the raisin studded white slop.  _ I can’t mess this up. Here goes nothing.  _

 

It was warm and slimy as she shoved it into her mouth as fast as she could while still being polite. It was like applesauce,  _ the only way forward is though,  _ she reminded herself as she ate spoonful after spoonful of the mixture, swallowing as best she could to avoid the raisins. She hated raisins.

 

She ate the porridge anyways. Even the raisins. She didn’t want to make a bad impression. 

 

“Where do I go after breakfast”, Gisela asked directly as she chased the last scraps of the sticky glop down with her spoon. She was almost there.

 

“Power testing”

 

“I thought I showed my clouds yesterday”

 

“Yesterday you showed you could use magic, today they will break down your gift and see how it is best classified and where you rank on the scale. After that you will probably join one of the basic classes to make sure that your education is proper”

 

“I think I will be okay” Gisela said, trying to reassure herself, “I was doing well in school”. A question occurred to her, “I won’t be going back will I”

 

“No. Magic is important and a necessary part of Caelum, as well as being a gift from the gods, but it is not something to be squadored or ignored. You will learn here”, Iya said with finality.

 

“Okay”.  _ I didn’t get to say goodbye…. _

 

“You finished”, Iya asked, pushing up from the bench. 

 

“Yeah”,  _ I might as well be.  _ She hadn’t been hungry before but somehow that last thought had soured what little appetite that she had left. 

 

“Just on time”. Getting up Iya led Gisela to another small cart where dirty dishes were stacked, “chores rotate, you will get dishes eventually and I expect that you won’t complain. You will do your turn like anyone else” 

“I will”, Gisela wasn’t sure what else she could say to that as she put her bowl in its place, leaving it as part of the towering stack of dishes.  She seachered wildly for some new topic, “do you know who will be doing power testing for me?”. It was something to break the silence.

 

“I think it's Priest Senya, her affinity is water so she does a lot with people who have a hydrokinetic gift”

 

“Can I ask what you have?”

 

“Crystal”, Iya said sharply. Gisela was about to ask a clarifying question when she saw the older girl’s stern face and thought better.  _ Abort Mission! _

 

The rest of the walk passed in silence. Gisela didn’t have the energy to start a new topic and it didn’t seem like Iya was into suggesting one. 

 

They arrive, not at another office like Gisela had somehow expect out into open air. Gisela could smell salt around around her, even though when she looked for the sea what she saw were the walls.  _ I wonder if they were put into place after the last Strait War, they did attack the temple after all.  _ It was something to think about, Gisela had always loved history. 

 

“Priest Senya’s here, excuse me” Iya said, pointing her head in the direction of the apoching priest. 

 

“Okay”. She wanted Iya leave as Priest Senya approached, she was walking briskly, somehow managing to almost run while still looking elegant. Gisela had to admit it was an impressive trick. 

 

“Iya-”, the priest said, stopping as she looked at Gisela. “I missed her didn’t I”

 

“Sorry”, Gisela said, not sure what else she was supposed to say.  _ It’s me that's supposed to be power testing, right? _

 

“It is fine”, Priest Senya said, waving her hand in negation, “Iya’s control of crystal and the sounds that it can make are just quite impressive and I was looking forward to testing a theory I had about the composition of the crystal and the amount of water versus the strength of the wound but-”, she seemed to realize that she had gone off topic, her pale skin flushed so hard she almost appereade red, “anyways we may get started on power testing now. I reserved the field so that we may work uninterrupted and I look forward to seeing what you can do with your gift” 

 

“How should I get started?”, Gisela asked, shifting her weight awkwardly.

 

“First I figured we would start with mediation, you do know how to do that right, your mother mentioned when she was talking yesterday”

 

“Sure”. Meditation was easy, Gisela could do meditation anyday. 

 

Gisela let her body relax as she closed her eyes crossed her legs, headless of the dusty court that she was sitting on.

 

_ In… _

 

She stopped thinking Iya and how sharp she was.

 

_ Out… _

 

She stopped feeling the itch of the dust.

 

_ In…  _

 

She stopped smelling the salty sea air.

 

_ Out… _

 

She stopped hearing the rustling of the wind as it gusted through the trees.

 

_ In… _

 

She stopped.

 

It was peaceful, calm and clear as she floated motionless and relaxed. She felt the engery around her and in her as she relaxed, just playing with it. It was warm as it trickled around her. She will some of it to take form in her hands. Opening her eyes she had a small ball of wispy, oddly warm clouds shimmering in her hands. Her magic, called on by her own two hands. 

 

“Can you do anything with it”, the priest asked, focusing on the clouds in Gisela’s hand. 

 

“I made a wall once but…”

 

“That was when the serpent attacked, right”

 

“Yeah”. Gisela stopped for a moment, unsure of if she could ask her question.  _ This is power testing, if not now then when?  _ She reminded herself, gathering courage, “it seems much weaker now” she said looking at the wispy clouds in her hands. “Before it stopped a serpent, now it's just clouds” 

 

“That happens when the first time you use magic is under stress, you overloaded your limits then and pushed to what you needed. Training that way can be effective but finding scenarios that are just dangerous enough to allow one to overcome their insttvice limits is dangerous so it is not advised” 

 

“So there are other ways of awakening magic”, Gisela said, paritly aware of the fact that she was going off on a major tangent. She liked knowing things, she didn’t forget easily. 

 

“Of course, magic awakened through stress is strong but so is magic awakened through time. Through careful meditation and exposure to other magic. Wither way takes a strong will to call on the deities gifts but imident life threatening danger is not anesseristy” she said dryly. “Anyways how big can you make your clouds”

 

It was odd, asking the clouds in her hands to grow. It felt like a matter of will of asking, “will you grow” and feeding it more energy. She had done this with Anjay on the boat so it wasn’t hard, not really. 

 

The cloud expanded from being cupped in Gisela’s hand, it seemed to both flow and float at the same time as she allowed it to grow until was roughly as big as her. On a whim Gisela tried to get it to shape itself into a person. Results were mixed.  It vaguely had a blobby body with a blobby head but it was less of a person than the clouds Gisela saw passing over head. 

 

_ So cloud shaping needs practice,  _ Gisela noted as she tried to manipulate her creation, unsure of what to call it in her head. 

 

“Not bad”, the priest said. She shifted her hands, changing into a stance with her legs spread slightly apart  to balance as she seemed to draw water right out of the air.  _ She would…  _ Gisela thought, trying not to be annoyed as the show off shaped her water into a person. And not just any person, it was a scarily accurate model of Gisela save for the color and lack of hair. “You will get there”, she said, trying to be comforting. 

 

The rest of power testing went similarly, really it was a lot like working with Anjay had been. She advised Gisela on shapes she made and tried to suggest new shapes to try. 

 

After about an hour of shaping clouds Gisela was starting to feel a little dizzy, each cloud on it's own didn’t take much energy but they added up.

 

“Let's take a break now”

 

Gisela tried not to sink to the ground to obviously, she was pretty sure that she failed. “How am I doing”, she couldn’t help but ask. Even if she wasn’t sure that she wanted to hear the answer. 

 

“Not bad. You only came into your gift a couple days ago so the fact that you have as much control as you do is impressive. I also noticed that you can meditate, you taught yourself I assume?”

 

“Yea”,  _ here goes nothing,  _ “why do you keep calling magic the gift? I mean sometimes you call it magic but other times you say the gift or you just said “came into your gift” and I was just wondering what that was about? I mean I have read a bit about The Quiet One before but I still feel like I don’t know enough and I don’t want to mess up and-”, Gisela saw Priest Senya raising an eyebrow, obviously waiting for Gisela’s tirade to stop. She felt her face flush as she shut her mouth with a audible click. 

 

“We will teach you what you need to know Gisela, when I was new I made plenty of mistakes  and I was fine. You will be too, you would have to do something awful like betray The Quiet One to get excommunicated from the temple. You are not just a follower of Ubphine but them as well and they protect their followers. As for your question, magic, even when it may not seem that way, even when our society thinks otherwise, is a gift. Our deity gave it to us so we could protect and aid those around us. It might not seem like we are always wanted, nor that our magic is important but it is. We all have our gifts for a reason and they are nothing to be ashamed about”. She said the last part for focusfully then the rest. It was obvious how much she believed in philosophy.

 

“Thanks” 

 

“If you have questions ask them. It's what you are here for after all”, Priest Senya said with a slight grin, “now I think you have rested enough, you should recover faster here because of the Deity’s blessing”

 

“The Deity’s blessing?”, Gisela asked.

 

The Priest seemed to debate with herself for a second before opening her mouth, “we don’t spread it around much so you can’t tell anyone outside but magic recovers faster here. There has been so much magic here for so long that it has sunk into the place. We call it the blessing of The Hidden one”

 

“Why does it matter”,  _ it's interesting sure, but why does it matter if people find out.  _

 

Now she seemed even more uncertain, “it's possible to, in a place like this, absorb The Blessing into a lacrima and use it. Doing so it desecrating a temple and will be punished with lethal force but even so it is not something that we spread around.”

 

“Has it happened before?”, Gisela asked, morbidly curious.

 

“Once. To the temple of Ycius. A mad man attacked the temple without precaution to take the blessing.”

 

“Did he escape”

 

“Yes, and he took the temples fire with him. They are still recovering from that disaster.”. The mood lay heavy over the two of them before Priest Senya shook her head sharply. “Enough about that, back to work”

 

Gisela didn’t bother to reply, instead forcing herself back up. She did feel better than she had before, even if she felt morbidly curious about what had happened to the man.  _ Nothing I can do now,  _ Gisela reminded herself, forcing herself to stop focusing on things that she couldn’t change and instead think about what she had to do- her magic.   

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I still fail at trying to time skip. I will get there soon...hopefully..

Thankfully power testing ended with nothing blowing up. Gisela tried to tell herself that it had gone well, even so she found herself on edge.

 

Priest Senya had told Gisela that she had too much of an affinity with air, and her specialty was only water. Gisela would have to get another mentor. 

 

Gisela didn’t want one. But she did. It would be amazing to learn more about her magic, it had been something that she had clung to for so long. But she was afraid too. She didn’t want to mess up. 

 

She had done her best at testing, Priest Senya had seemed happy. But Priest Senya was nice, Gisela wasn’t sure if she had done well enough or not.

 

It wasn’t like she belonged in this world or anything. She shouldn’t have existed and she knew that someday, someone would realize.

 

Realize that she was an imposter girl the a body that wasn’t hers that was trying to live but not quite good enough, that didn’t quite fit.

 

But until then she was waiting in awkward, nervous almost silence for the new mentor.

 

She hadn’t met them yet and she could feel the nausea building in her stomach. 

 

She had been assigned one three days ago but they hadn’t had a chance to meet until today . 

 

To spend time Gisela had been helping out in the kitchens. It was good to be in a kitchen even if she didn’t know anyone and wasn’t used to cooking on a macro scale. She could do the dishes. People always needed the dishes done. It was a fact of life.  

 

Iya had been standoffish and sharp as always and Gisela hadn’t had the energy to try and talk to any of the other innates. The older chefs had been nice but when she was in the kitchen it was too loud and too busy to talk. 

 

It was okay though, she was pulling through. At least she hoped she was.

 

Even now she was waiting outside, savoring the warmth and sunshine. It was good to spend time in the fresh air and enjoy the feeling of the breeze. Even the smell of the ocean was nice right now, as tired as she was of being underground. 

 

She had mentioned it to Iya, asking if she was the only one that got tired of being underground all the time. Iya had just shrugged and told her she would get used to it before going back to silence. 

 

Gisela still wasn’t used to the tunnels, she hadn’t realized how much she would miss the windows and fresh air until she was outside and able to just sit and enjoy it for awhile.

 

It was almost enough that she could forget why she was there, almost enough to forget that she was meeting the person responsible for saying if she was good enough or not. For saying that she could stay here and keep learning. 

 

Gisela wasn’t sure about the gods, wasn’t sure if her magic was a gift or something she had earned but she had to try. This was the place that was left to her, she didn’t want to mess it up.

 

“You are Gisela, correct”

 

Gisela jerked her head around to face the voice, she saw a short dark skinned woman with hard brown eyes. She looked imposing, even so there was a warmth around her. She seemed to be the kind of person who was fair but firm,  _ hopefully I’m right.  _ Gisela thought before speaking.

 

“Y-yeah”. Gisela forced herself to not stutter, “I am”.

 

“Good. I am Kinitia Taneyos and I will be your mentor, I am gifted with the power of the weather and work in predictions for the people. It is good to meet you”

 

“It is nice to meet you too”, Gisela said, not sure where to go from there, “if it is not rude how should I refer to you?”. So far Gisela had just been calling everyone priest but she wasn’t sure if that was right and didn’t want to make a bad impression. 

 

The older woman thought for a second, “call my Priest Taneyos” 

 

“Algiht”

 

“Do you have anymore questions”

 

“What exactly will my duties with you be, I know as part of the temple I will be helping with the maintenance but what will I be doing with you”.  _ Shut up Gisela you are sounding redundant. _

 

“You will be expected to meet with me when I decide in order to practice your specific gift. While you will be joining mediation with the other innates starting tomorrow magic is a gift that takes people down their own paths and here at the temple we respect that. I was chosen to be your mentor because clouds are part of my domain, making me uniquely suited to be your mentor”

 

“What's the difference between your clouds and mine?”.  _ The idea of weather as a specialty is really cool but how does that work? Is it sunshine? Rain? Can she summon snow and hail?  _ Gisela couldn’t help the questions that were bubbling up in her head. This was the first time she might actually get real answers, if she didn’t mess everything up that is. 

Gisela had just about given up on getting an answer out of the priest when she started to speak. “Think about having an affinity like having a cup of water, and many types of magic as many different bowls. Someone like you, who leans very close to one type of magic is very strong in it, it will take you much less energy and time in order to master your clouds than I did mine. On the other hand I do have far more variety than you, as I can also manipulate liquid water and summon lighting”

 

“Have you ever summoned lighting, like not just small sparks but real lighting”. Gisela couldn’t imagine what lighting would be like to hold, her clouds were soft and took a firm touch but lighting, she couldn’t imagine trying to hold that.  _ I guess there is a reason I can’t use light magic,  _ she thought dryly.  

 

“Once”, the priest said, an eerie half smile on her face. Gisela got shivers down her back just looking at the expression. It wasn’t pleasant. 

 

_ Abort topic! Abort Topic!  _ It wasn’t hard for Gisela to picture the mental sirens going off in her head as she grasped for something safer to talk about. “So what are your normal duties?”, it was a stretch but the silence would have been worse.  Gisela wasn’t much fond of awkward silences, she caused them way too often. 

 

“Normally I read the weather to see what it has in store for us. Once I have reported that I help to deal with the running of the temple of Qosasis, I am the second priest afterall” 

 

“You’re the second priest”. Gisela had only been at the temple for a little while but even she knew that that was an important job, did she really have time to be teaching someone magic?

 

“It will be fine”, Priest Taneyos said serenely, “as someone who benefited from the temple when my gift showed itself I could do no more for the next generation. It will be my honor to see you grow into a priest of this temple” 

 

Gisela wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, on one hand she was grateful that she wasn’t being seen as a burden but even so she wasn't sure that she could be a priest.  _ I’m in a whole new world,  _ Gisela reminded herself,  _ they have god slaying magic, why wouldn't they have gods.  _

 

Belief was something that had been hard for her Before and even now she still wasn’t certain. What type of deity let someone be reincarnated in a fictional universe after all? 

 

Glancing at the priest Gisela saw the priest was looking curiously at her. She hadn’t responded! Gisela felt her cheeks flush. “Thank you for your trust in me”, she said, aiming for a neutral response. 

 

“I expect I won’t be disappointed”, Priest Taneyos said levely. There was an intensity to her that Gisela found almost magnetic. Here was someone who had a life, most likely had a very busy life, but when she was told that she had to mentor some kid said yes. Gisela knew that it was temple policy, even some she was impressed. And grateful, she was most definitely grateful. 

 

Gisela knew she needed all the help she could get/

 

The rest of the meeting was just Gisela going over how she got her magic and then revisiting what would be expected of her and exactly how mentorships at the temple worked. She couldn’t help the anxiety at how she reflected on the priest. If she messed up she would hurt more than just herself now. She couldn’t afford that.  _ I can do this, nowhere to go but though,  _ she reminded herself, trying to boost her confidence.

After that it was afternoon classes, a strange form of comfort for Gisela. Arving in the class gave her a sense of deja vu. Once again she was standing and introducing herself, this time just as Gisela. Once again she was joining an already formed class, the odd one out. The only difference was this time the teacher instructed her to a solo desk half way back. That and this class room was actually a little more crowded. 

 

Gisela shifted in her wooden chair, as she sat down.  _ The desks are similar to,  _ she realized as she found the drawer with the wax tablet. Somehow she found that comforting, it was proof that not everything had to change on her. 

 

That was something to hold on too. 

 

Then class begun.

 

They were doing the strait war again. Gisela prepared herself for the lectures she had already heard about the arcs of the war and Caelum’s resulting victory. 

 

It was… different?

 

The first “stage” of the war, the raiding and cutting off supply lines to Fiore was described in the same way. The surprise attack was also described the same as it had been in her old class. A quick ambush, ships raiding and razing before the harbor defenses could be raised and the temple barely managing to hold its own area. 

 

It was after that that it differed.

 

“Do you have a problem?”, instructor asked sharply. Gisela wafflued, the other children were looking at her again and she just wanted to shrink away. “Well?”, he questioned, tapping his stick.

 

“Wene Wythey was a mage?”, when she heard the mutterings statt she hastened to explain. “They didn’t teach me that at my old school”. They had just said that she had died from exhaustion after sailing to Fiore to alert the navy there what had happened. 

 

“Typical”, Gisela heard someone say from behind her. She felt her stomach twist, she was already messing everything up.

 

The instructor coughed slightly and the class fell back into silence, “Yes, some schools in Caelum have been known to overlook Wene Wythey’s role as a priest of The Hidden One. While some people like to teach that it was not her gift that allowed her to save the city that is ignoring the fact that she was powerfully gifted with the wind, one of Eftar’s few good ones, who sacrificed her life to bring vital information to Fiore from Caelum. She was a hero and all facets of her life deserve to be remembered.”

 

“Thank you”, Gisela said awkwardly.  _ Why didn’t I learn that,  _ she felt the upset churning deep inside her. This wasn’t some magic, this wasn’t any mystical force or hidden language, this was just history. 

 

_ Why isn’t that taught in my school. What else am I missing.  _ That was the most terrifying part of all. Gisela didn’t like not knowing. Not one bit.

 

Finally the class was over, it was even harder to tell without the sun to gauge to position by, and they left the classroom. Gisela debated hanging back to ask the instructor more questions about the Stairt War and what else she was missing but decided against it. She didn’t want to stand out more than she already did. 

 

Fortunately the next class was mediation, Gisela didn’t have to talk there. 

 

The class made the trek through the maze like tunnels together. Gisela was surprised at how much she actually recognized of the passages. She was slowly learning how they fit together, even if there were parts that she still did not know. 

 

Finally they made it back to the surface. Gisela found to her surprise that she recognized the clearing! It was the same place that she had done her power testing. Somehow that comforted her. It was more proof that she could learn how to live here. 

 

She found a spot near the outskirts of the clearing, where the dusty group of the training field changed into soft grass, leaning against a tree  Gisela savored the feeling of the rough bark though the fabric of her chiton. She closed her eyes and breathed.

 

_ In… _

 

She stopped thinking about the other innates, if she was doing this right or if she was way behind them. 

 

_ Out… _

 

She stopped feeling the heat of the late afternoon beating down on her.

 

_ In…  _

 

She stopped smelling the salty air.

 

_ Out… _

 

She stopped hearing the rustling of the wind through the trees

 

_ In… _

 

She stopped.

 

There was never quite a moment of change, it seemed to flow from awareness to not quite non awareness but other as smooth as a tranquil river. 

 

With just as much lurking in the deepths.

 

She was in her place floating in the not quite black nothingness. She reached out, feeling the energy surrounding her in full brilliance. 

 

It was different now. 

 

She looked without looking and felt the cores of energy nearby, she reached out attempting to touch them. Somehow she couldn’t reach. She was about to reach again when she was distracted by a stream of magic welling up from below. 

 

She reveled in its energy, savoring the way it seemed to cycle through different stages it was like riding though a current made of warm hugs and hope. It felt like warmth and safety.

 

It felt like home.

 

Gislea’s eyes snapped open. 

 

Her cheeks felt damp. 

 

She was crying. 

 

Glancing around Gisela saw that the other innates were still deep in mediation, none of them could see her. 

 

_ That's something,  _ she thought bitterly. She had no way to explain why she had been affected so strongly by the magic. 

 

No way to say that it made her feel like before, back when she knew she was in the right body, in the right world.

Back when she had a family that loved her, that had known her her entire life. Gisela knew that Gastislion, Maape and Ca were her siblings in a way, she was tired of denying that. Even so she missed her older brother. She missed her argumentative father and her patient mother.

 

They were gone.

 

Nothing changed that. 

 

No matter how much Gisela wanted to. 

 

She wiped her cheeks quickly, she couldn’t have anyone see that she was crying before she tried to fall back into the pattern.

 

_ Out… _

  
  


_ In…  _

  
  


_ Out… _

  
  


_ In… _

 

It was hard to reach out again, she wanted to stay curled up. She wanted to avoid the warmth. She couldn't do that. She needed to mediate. 

 

She compromised. 

 

She reached inside herself, feeling the energy that she had started to store after the serpent. She moved it around, delighting in making it swirl.

 

How fast could she go?

 

It was a simple question barely thought but Gisela couldn’t help but follow the impulse. She speed the feeling up, sending it rocketing down her limbs, stopping it right before the release.

 

It was odd. She could feel an odd focus, like all the lights from before were focused on her. Hesitantly Gisela opened her eyes.

 

They were staring at her. 

 

Gisela felt the rough bark of the tree push against her back as she shurk back, trying to inch away from all the stares. 

 

What had she done this time?

 

The instructor…  _ whats his name again?  _ Gisela racked her mind furiously,  _ Instructor Priest Antilia  _ was coming over quickly.

 

She had definitely messed something up. 

 

He looked at her for a moment, Gisela had the feeling he was having trouble remembering her name. Then he spoke, “Innate Gisela, come with me to my office, everyone else” he said, gesturing to the onlookers, “head to dinner prep”.

 

That was that.

 

Gisela wethered the curious stares, trying to ignore the turning in her stomach.  _ In a way it's lucky I’m not going to dinner, I don’t think I could eat like this _ , Gisela thought, searching for a bright side. 

 

She had been here for less than a week.

 

Then all the other innates were gone, having branched off to the temple kitchens. 

Gisela walked in silence beside her instructor, there was nothing that she could say. 

 

Finally they arrived at a more private space.

 

“Instructors do not get their own offices, instead we share this space”, he said. Gisela blushed, had she been that obvious?

 

Apparently so.

 

“Did, did I do something wrong?”, Gisela asked, finally gathering up the courage to voice her awkward question. 

 

“No. You just surprised us”. Gisela felt her gut settle a little at that, maybe this wasn’t the end of the world? He kept talking, “You see, I did not expect you to already be able to mediate or have such fine control of your gift. Most of the time when we get new innates they are wildly out of control.”

 

“Is that why everyone was sitting away from me?”. Gisela questioned, picturing the way that nobody had even come near her tree.

 

“Well, yes”

 

“Oh”.  _ So did I mess up or not? _

 

“I apologize, I did not realize that you had such fine control over your magic” 

 

“So I’m not in trouble”. Gisela knew that she was being annoying but she still had to ask, still had to make sure.

 

“No. You are not in trouble, I merely wanted to ask; did anyone teach you to meditate?”

 

“I taught myself” 

 

“Very impressive, I imagine that you will fit in very well here, you bear the gift with great patience already” 

 

“Thank you”. Gisela wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

 

“You may be dismissed now”, he said formally, “can you find your way back?”.

 

“I think I can”.

 

“Very well, I will see you on the morrow than”

 

“You as well”, Gisela said, trying to match the formality of his statement as she turned around. She actually did pretty well in the hallways, she had to stop and check at the turns to see where they were pointing, yes but she didn’t get lost. 

 

That hope carried her as she arrived that the kitchen, nodding at her fellows before she grabbed a peeler and a potato. Maybe she wasn’t doomed to failure after all?


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We are almost there, canon is coming soon (if anyone is still reading...) In the mean time, enjoy my time skip!

Time started to pass much more rapidly after those first few days and soon Gisela began to find her rhythm. 

 

And stop getting lost as she made her way through the network of tunnels. Not getting lost was nice, Gisela was very fond of knowing her way around. 

 

Even if she still got lost sometimes, even then improvement was improvement and something to be held on to.

 

So she was going to do that.

 

And steadily, time did start to pass.

XXXX

“And release”. 

 

Gisela let the clouds that she was holding disperse in the brisk wind. 

 

Priest Taneyos had taken up to the top of the temple for a change. Gisela would be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t grateful, learning cloud formations was useful but it got boring after a time.

 

For here Gisela could see all of Caelum, the city proper at least, even part ways past the double wall and the gate that led to Caelum’s outer districts. 

 

Gisela had never been to them. 

 

She would be soon. Part of what the temple did was help to organize food kitchens and ensure people had some medical care.

 

That was for later though. Gisela had something else to do at the moment. 

 

She looked back up at the just rising sun.

 

It was especially pretty with the colors of sunrise painted across the horizon, dying the sky in pinks and pale blues. 

 

Views like this were rare and breathtaking. 

 

“Gisela”. 

 

Gisela felt herself bushing, her distraction had obviously been noticed, “sorry”

 

“It's fine. I merely wished to get to the reason we came up here- it is time to see how you can read the weather. Is it not?”

 

“You are right”, Gisela turned away from the view, facing her mentor once again. It was time to get to work.

 

She could see the crystals that they would use to amplify and help control their weather sight. Instruments to make an old technique far more precise. That and the height of the temple were why the temple had this job. 

 

Gisela didn’t want to fail.

 

Falling into mediation was not quite habit yet, even so it wasn’t hard to relax. They had already gone over the theory, all she had to do was actualize it. 

 

She fell into her trance, into the silent still place that she called her own. 

 

From there she tried to feel. She knew clouds, not as well as she wished, yes, but she knew them. 

 

Instead of summoning her own she tried to reach out, to catch the preexisting ones and see how they moved. 

If they were close or far, strong or weak, wet or dry. 

 

There was a lot that could be learned from clouds. 

 

That is, before they drifted away.

 

She reached out, looking for the ethernanos trapped in the clouds. 

 

Few Clouds. No rain.

 

That wasn’t so bad. She reached out.

 

Few Clouds. No rain waterheavyhighcloudssteadylevel

 

It hurt. 

 

waterheavyhighcloudssteadylevelstrongdenseslowspeedingup

 

She couldn’t break out

 

Waterheavyhighcloudssteadylevelstrongdenseslowspeedingupdrywetcoldfrezingscatterformshiftdrift

 

It was too much.

  
  


Waterheavyhighcloudssteadylevelstrongdenseslowspeedingupdrywetcoldfrezingscatterformshiftdriftfallcrystalcircle

 

No.

 

Waterheavyhighcloudssteadylevelstrongdenseslowspeedingupdrywetcoldfreezingscatterformshiftdriftfallcrystalcirclebreakrainscatterhighlowdensewetlightningbornshockhailraincrystalformcloudshower...

 

It was too bright.

 

She felt a cooling had on her forehead.

 

She was going to sleep. That would be nice. 

 

Few Clouds. No Rain.

 

Darkness.

 

Gisela woke with a framilliar headache. 

 

Not again.

 

She heard a groan, was that her?

 

_ Ugh.  _

 

She buried her head in something soft, she would deal with the world later. 

 

And figure out what she did wrong.

 

XXXX

 

This was awkward. Gisela had known that she would be allowed to see her family, Priest Senya had told her during orientation but over the past few weeks she hadn’t really thought about it.

 

She had been to busy trying to relearn her lessons and catch up in magic. At least her mediation was up to par. She was good at sitting still.

 

She had had lots of practice.

 

Still, she really hadn’t thought at all about the fact that she would have to face her family sometime. 

 

Maybe she should have.

 

_ At least my headache is gone?  _ She tried to be positive. Not having a headache was nice.

 

XXXX

 

She stood in front of the gates, fist raised to knock.

 

She was almost there. The double take from her neighbors had been awkward. People in the robes of Qosasis were not common in this area. Gisela still remembered the first time she had seen somebody in the traditional gray robes.

 

It felt like both forever and a day ago. A lot of things felt like that these days.

 

The door open.

 

“Mr. Cornwallis”, she exclaimed upon seeing the familiar face. She hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye to him before.

 

“Gisela, joy is delivered unto my heart as I rest my gaze on your face” 

 

“It's good to see you to. Is everyone else waiting”. This had been planned, hopefully they actually wanted to see her. 

 

She wasn’t sure if they did. She wasn’t thinking about the reverse. 

 

“Yes, I have prepared a delicious repast” 

 

Mr. Cornwallis was awesome. She wasn’t nice enough to him. 

 

“Thank you”

 

Walking into the house felt surreal as well. This had been the closest thing she had had to home in years. She knew where everything was. Still it felt off.

 

It didn’t feel like home.  _ I wonder if it ever did.  _ Gisela had been to broken at first, to many edges rubbed raw by everything. In the last year she had been letting go but it was hard and sometimes, sometimes she just couldn’t take it. 

 

Those were the worst times. 

 

She waved as Mr. Cornwallis peeled off to go to the kitchen. Gisela envied him, it would be better than trying to talk.

 

_ Nowhere to go but through,  _ Gisela reminded herself. Once again hesitating at a door.

 

This time there was nobody but herself to open it.

 

She gave it a light nudge and enter the room.

 

It was time to talk.

 

Even if Gisela didn’t quite know what to say.

“-and turn”

 

XXXX

 

It was the festival of Evneas again. Ycius’s day, the spring equinox, had past as Gisela was preparing to sail. 

 

Even so it would not have been a big festival, Ycius was, apparently, vain enough, without a festival and not to be invited in. 

 

She wasn’t sure about that, not celebrating a deity sounded rude. On the other hand he was of fire and she did hold a healthy respect for flames.

 

Either way it didn’t really matter.

 

Now it was June, and with June came the solstice.

 

And the festival, it was Gisela’s first one with the temple. 

 

She hadn’t realized that they were allowed to dance until Priest Dairun had come to class asking for volunteers.

 

There had been an audition but it was more like can you learn how to dance and can you focus than a super picky one. 

 

It was hard work, but it was fun. Gisela liked dancing, it was more exercise than she had been getting for a while and even when she was sweaty felt the sharpness that came with being out of breath she liked it.

 

She wouldn’t be in this years festival, however she could be in the next one. 

 

She had always loved watching dancers.

 

It was something that she hadn’t done, not even Before. 

 

Like magic it was a chance to learn, a chance to grow. 

 

Gisela was trying to do that.

 

Iya was the only problem.

 

As Gisela got a quick drink from the water fountain she considered the other girl.

 

In the month or so that Gisela had been at the temple she hadn’t warmed up at all and worse, now that Gisela had started prepping for the dance she had somehow gotten colder.

 

It felt downright chilly in their room even if neither of them had ice magic. 

 

_ I wish I knew what was bothering her.  _ Gisela watched Iya talking to Priest Dairun from her place on the bench. Talking to him she seemed happy enough. 

 

Gisela wasn’t sure what she was was doing wrong.

 

She wanted to fix it.

 

She didn’t know how.  _ Did I say something wrong?  _

 

_ No point in worrying.  _ Gisela could see the other dancers getting back up as well, it was time to get back to work.

 

The ornate moves that she had envied the time before didn’t come easily after all.

 

Even so it would be worth it someday. Someday she would move like that. 

 

And dances were always good ways to try and make friends. The theater bonded people.

  
XXXX

 

“Pst, pst”

 

Gisela turned from her desk, looking for the source of the noise. She was largely ignoring the lesson- it was math. Gisela could do math. Math didn’t change. It was steady even from one world unto the next.

 

Gisela turned, looking at the girl. Poofy. She had seen this girl around a bit, always talking to someone, typically with a book in hand. 

 

Gisela had wanted to ask to barrow her books but didn’t have the courage to ask. The other girl never seemed that friendly when Gisela looked at her. More suspicious, like Gisela was plotting something. 

 

But she was talking to Gisela now.

 

Maybe that was changing?

 

“How do you do this”. She pointed at the problem that she was working on. Gisela felt deja vu. 

 

“Carry the one”

 

“How”

 

Gisela slipped her paper over to the edge of her desk.  _ It's just a worksheet,  _ she comforted herself.  _ I can show her later. _

 

“Thanks”

 

When Gisela looked over the worksheet was full, the script looked strangely familiar.“I’ll explain it later”

 

“That would be great. I’m Cadra”. 

 

_ Thank you,  _ Gisela had been introduced to her classmates- it wasn’t like she didn’t see them often what with meditation, math, history and, all of the other temple classes.

 

Seeing them was one thing.

 

Talking to them was a different matter. Gisela wasn’t quite sure why but she tended not to be spoken to outside of when people needed her to do her chores. She hoped this was different. Either way, there was only one polite thing for her to do. 

 

“Gisela”

 

“I was here for your introduction”

 

“It’s polite”

 

“True”

 

“You’re a lot nicer than I thought, you haven't really talked to anyone”, the other girl said bluntly.

 

“I didn’t think anyone wanted to talk to me”. Gisela had watched the other groups but even at practice she was at the side, isolated. Gisela had never been good with people, Before or after.

 

“Eh-em”. 

 

_ Opps.  _ Gisela made quick eye contact with the other girl, hoping that she would want to talk to her later. Then it was back to work. Gisela was definitely feeling the deja vu.

 

_ At least I can do math.  _ Numbers were reassuring, they never changed. 

 

At last the class was over. They didn’t really get homework at the temple, conversely they didn’t get much free time either. 

 

Thankfully now was one of those free hours. 

 

Instead of hanging back awkwardly this time Gisela joined the jostle, trying to keep up with Cadra. 

 

_ At least her hair is easy to keep track of.  _ Cadra’s hair was a pinkish orange that seemed to glow with her warm, dark skin. It was a very pretty contrast. 

 

Gisela had always wanted hair like that. Unfortunately she was stuck with brown.

 

They peeled of from the rest of the group, heading instead to the stairs leading outside.

 

Cadra waved to the other people as she left, calling out names Gisela barely recognized. 

 

Then they were away from the crowd and outside.

 

Pausing for a moment Gisela waited for her eyes to adjust to the sunlight once again. The crystals were nice and they did their jobs well but nothing truly matched the light of the sun. Or the warmth. Gisela tried to make it outside at least once a day. 

 

Eyes adjusted Gisela had to hurry to catch up with Cadra, the other girl had rushed to one of the many trees.

 

“So”, Cadra said, gesturing to the ground next to her. Gisela sat, the grass at the temple was plush and unusually comfortable. Gisela wondered if it had anything to do with all the magic, grass in general wasn’t very common but the temple had both grass and trees and it made no sense but magic in general made no sense and Cadra was looking at her expectantly.  _ Focus Gisela! _

 

“So”

 

“So”

 

“I’m sorry”, Gisela apologized. “I’m really bad at this”

 

“I can tell. I thought you were a wealthy brat but no, you’re just awkward”

 

“You thought what!”.  _ What did I ever do to give that sort of impression, I’ve never claimed privilege or acted like I deserved more or anything like that at- _

 

“I thought you were a wealthy brat who thought they were better than everyone else. You always sit at the end of the table and only talk when you have too. Not to mention that you’re a Raimu even if the priests tried not to make it a big deal. Raimu equals bitch, not hard equation to make” 

 

“Why. I mean I know I suck at people but why Raimu”

 

“Your parents aren't the most pro magic y’know. It's not like they aren’t always pushing to minimize our role in government or anything”, she paused here for a second. Gisela could hear the sarcasm, “oh wait, they are”  

 

“That makes sense”. Gisela wasn’t sure where to go from there. “But if I have magic than why would I be a bitch”

 

“Why do you even have magic, most of us with non Priest parents don’t have magic without some big trigger”

 

That was a blunt question, it deserved a blunt answer. “I was sailing and a sea serpent attacked” 

 

“Well”. Gisela could tell she had almost flustered the other girl, she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. “That's one way to unlock your gift”

 

“You”

 

“Maybe later”, Cadra hedged. Gisela didn’t push.

 

“Is there a way I can make people think I am not a bitch?”.  _ I really don’t want to spend the rest of my life an exile in my own place.  _ Gisela knew there wasn’t really any room for magic users outside the temple. There weren’t many options for mages in Caelum and Gisela didn’t really feel like leaving. She didn’t exactly have anywhere to go to after all.

 

“I’ll let them know you just suck at people, it’ll be fine”

 

“Thanks” Gisela said half dryly. There wasn’t really much she could say to that. 

 

“Thank you for the help on the math as well, math is my worst subject. It just makes no sense! I hate it when the alphabet infiltrates, it makes it even worse. It's like you almost have a hand of the numbers but just when you get comfortable than x comes in. And not x alone it is also radicals and notation and just why can’t it be simple. I hate alphabet math” 

 

“I can show you more later”, Gisela offered almost instantly. She was good at teaching math. At least she thought she was.

 

“Thank you” Cadra exclaimed, flopping back on the grass.

 

Gisela hesitated for a moment before flopping back beside her. Since she had unlocked her gift Gisela had found a far greater appreciation for watching the clouds go by. 

 

XXXX  

 

Gisela sat at her desk drawing nothing. It was just a way to pass the time.  _ Past time really,  _ Gisela thought as she wore her pencil down. 

 

She needed to talk to Iya. She had put it off, even after talking to Cadra but she knew that wasn’t sustainable. 

 

_ Especially after rehearsal today.  _ It had been the first dress rehearsal, the show being next week, and Priest Dariun, who somehow had time to both dance and direct, had put her on helping Iya with getting ready.

 

Iya’s face would have been funny if Gisela wasn’t sure that her face was a reflection. 

 

As it was it was just stressful.

 

_ Nowhere to go but through.  _ Somewhere along the line that had become her words to live by. It was as good a mantra as any Gisela figured.

 

The door opened with the tell tale creak of the old hinges, quiet their room was not. At least the room itself wasn’t, neither her nor Iya spoke to the other often.

 

Turning Gisela was treated to the sight of Iya, her grey eyes widened in surprise. “You’re still awake” she said somewhat recently.

 

“We need to talk”, Gisela said, not justifying that with an answer. It was obvious that she was awaken, there was no good way to reply to that.

 

“About what”

 

“About that fact that we are going to be in close quarters, closer than normal, for the next week. I”, here Gisela faltered for a second, nerves beginning to overwhelm her, “I don’t know what I did or why you dislike me, but we don’t have time for it. If there is anything I can do please tell me”  

 

“Like you actually care”, Iya said dryly. 

 

Gisela felt her eyes widen in surprise,“why wouldn’t I?”. Like that she remembered what Cadra had told her earlier and just how much friendlier the people in her class had gotten, “is it because I’m a Raimu?” 

 

“No it's because you’re a turtle”, Iya snarked, rolling her eyes. “I don’t see why you pretend that you care about us. Your family is probably just looking for a way to undercut the temple to.”

 

“Why would you say that!”

 

“Because it's what you did to my family. My mother used to run a perfectly good fabric store but after you’re family”, Gisela could hear the poison in those words, “decided to diversify my family got thrown under the bus” 

 

“I’m sorry”. There wasn’t anything more Gisela could say to that. Even if she told Chiosca nothing would change.

 

“Like that will do anything”.  _ There was the eye roll again _ , a distant part of Gisela thought.

 

“What can I do. I need to be at the temple, not because of money or anything but because I have magic, I have the gift and I need to know how to use it. I am sorry that happened to your family but there is nothing I can do. I understand if you don’t want to be friends with my but Priest Dariun put us together and that means we have to get along”. Gisela felt cold and tense, she didn’t have time for emotions. 

 

“And that's supposed to be enough” 

 

“That's all I can do. You can hate me, I can’t change that. I can’t help your family and I can’t change mine, all I can do is say sorry and try and get along. Priest Dariun expects that of us. Truce”, Gisela offered, trying to bridge the gap.

 

“Until the end of the week, we can revisit it then”, Iya said, sticking out her hand. 

 

Gisela offered hers and they shook, eyes meeting steadily.

 

_ Hopefully we can make this work.  _

  
  


XXXX

Gisela hesitated as she walked into the room that she used for meditation. 

 

Her headache was better and there wasn’t rehearsal now so she couldn’t claim that she was to busy to come. 

 

“I’m glad you’re on time”

 

Gisela jumped a little at the unexpected voice, letting out a slight shriek that reverberated around the room, echoing for a few seconds before dying off.

 

_ Opps. _

 

“I”, Gisela stuttered, “I wouldn’t let you down like that. I am sorry for the spire, I don’t know what happened”

 

“It’s okay”, Priest Taneyos soothed, “you did not let anyone down. That happened to me as well the first time I tried to read the weather”

 

“What didn’t you warn me?”

 

“Would you have done it if I had”, she asked, her eyes piercing. 

 

Gisela felt herself shrink back. She balled her hands up, stopping them from reaching for the door. She had to face this, there was nowhere she could run.

 

“I’m sorry”, Priest Taneyos said, softening a little. “I know it is hard but our weather predictions are vitally important to the temple and to the city. It is in this way that we can best aid our city and show them why we are of value”. Here she paused for a moment, obviously thinking about what she was going to say, “even if some of them don’t quite understand. But you do? Right”

 

“I do”, Gisela remembered when she was getting ready to go sailing, how her father had checked predictions and explained how it was especially important for shipping and close by industries and how it predicted them. There was a point there, Gisela just didn’t like it.

 

“That being said today I thought we would simply work on your clouds”

 

“Straight magic!”. Gisela straightened up, pushing off the door in her excitement.

“Straight magic”, Priest Taneyos confirmed as she walked into the middle of the room, Gisela following eagerly.

 

She couldn’t reach the sense that had been slowly growing, that still burned whenever she felt nearby but wielding it was different. She could do that.

 

Iya was talking to her and she could use her clouds. Today was a good day. As Gisela danced amongst her wisps, shaping them, changing their colors and their firmness she grinned. 

 

Some days were good.

 

And she was totally going to see if she could fly on her clouds one of these days. It would be a fun test.

 

XXXX

 

_ The show is today.  _ Gisela wasn’t even performing but she still felt her heart beating faster at the idea, not quite stage fright more… anticipation. 

 

_ The show must go on. _

She rushed around backstage, checking the ornate green chitons for rips. She had been on water duty before but when it was found of Gisela was a pretty good seamstress,  at least good enough to patch rips and maintain outfits, she had been transferred to costume duty. Even if they didn’t call it that.

 

And that was on top of helping Iya. Gisela grabbed Iya’s chiton off the rack, nodding to Ferntu as she went.

 

Gisela did not want to be late, she might have been getting along with Iya better now but she still did not want to provoke the other girl. 

 

She took a moment to breath before she entered the dressing room.

 

Iya liked to change in a curtained room, avoiding the openness of the main area. 

 

After that it was a flurry of fabrics and hair, once she had helped Iya wrest her peach colored hair into a more elaborate than normal style. 

 

Still, Gisela had to admit the end result was impressive. Gold and green wires have been woven though Iya’s peach colored mass and they had pinned it into a bun with many thing braids leading up to it, each one with gold and green woven in. 

 

“Ready”, Gisela asked, voice tight with excitement. It was almost time.  

 

“Of course”, Iya seemed calm but focused. There was a steel in her eyes that Gisela couldn’t help but admire. Here was someone that was ready to dance. “It is time to thank the goddess”

 

“The goddess will be thanked. I know it”, Gisela said, not sure if she was trying to be reassuring. Either way, it didn’t really matter. 

 

Iya smilled. Gisela was pretty sure it was the first time the other girl had ever truly smiled at her. It was nice.

 

Then it was showtime.

 

Gisela watched from behind the curtain, scanning the audience to see if she could recognize anybody. 

 

It was too hard to tell. Gisela gave up on scanning the crowd, instead focusing on the dancers. 

 

They were the same blur of gold and green and light as last year, except this time they were somehow more. This time Gisela knew how much time and determination had been put into mastering the ancient dance. 

 

It made it even more incredible. 

 

And then it was over. Unlike last year she didn’t go immediately outside to the celebration that Gisela knew was outside. This year she had to work it. 

 

_ Time to get started.  _

 

The kitchen was even hotter than normal and Gisela nodded at Cadra as she took her place on the bucket line. It was time to get to work.

 

The suds made her fingers tingle after the first ten minutes as her dark skin flushed an impressive red.  

 

_ I did not think about the dishes last year. Welp, guess I am now. _

 

Cadra waved as she left, Gisela didn’t know the green haired girl who replaced her. Even so she nodded before she returned to scrubbing in companionable silence. 

 

Finally her shift was over. 

 

_ Freedom!  _ Gisela noded to the green haired girl who kept going, poor girl still had time left on her shift.

 

_ Maybe I should stay? At least till my replacement comes, it wouldn’t be fair to leave her alone.  _

 

Gisela returned to washing dishes.

 

“Thanks”, the green haired girl said with a quick grin. 

 

“No problem”, Gisela hedged as she grabbed the wipe down cloth. It really wasn’t, she didn’t want to make the other girl work alone.

 

Finally, Gisela was pretty sure they were a few minutes late, she saw Ferntu walk in.

 

“Sorry I’m late, I was helping Iya as well”

 

Gisela felt her annoyance drain, she really couldn’t dislike her for that. “Thanks”

 

“No problem. Thanks for taking an early dishes shift and waiting for me”

 

“Good luck”, Gisela wished to the other person, exiting the steamy, warm room for the last time.  _ Of the day,  _ she reminded herself, checking her own dramatics.

 

Gisela felt a jolt run through her, someone was holding her!

 

She flailed for a moment, blinded by the abrupt change from dark to light. Blinking spots Gisela twisted her head around. 

 

It wasn’t….it was!

 

“Erani”, Gisela exclaimed.

 

“The one and only”, the other girl detached from her. Turning to face her Gisela could see her wide grin, Erani’s cream colored eyes were dancing in delight.

 

“It's really good to see you”

 

“Yeah, you too. I miss you in class now, we all do”

 

“Right”. Gisela hadn’t really thought about her old class much since she had came here. There had been too much to do, to many things to try. She could try to be a better friend now. “So how is everyone”

 

“Same as usual, Instructor Slanfo is drilling us on math and languages. I miss having someone to do homework with and I know that Sairen misses trading books with you. Did you know she has taken up running. She wants to get ahead start in the military now.”

 

Gisela felt taken aback, did she really miss that much? “Does she seem happy?” Questions were good, she could do those.

 

“Yeah. I think we are doing well, even if you abandoned us for the temple”

 

“I’m sorry?”. Gisela wasn’t sure if she was supposed to apologize for that or not. 

 

“It is what it is. You can not help your gift”  

 

Gisela paused for a second. “You know, outside the temple I think that is the most positive response I have gotten.” The sad part was she wasn’t kidding. Magic wasn’t hated, except by Chiosca, but it wasn’t really loved in Caelum either.

 

“Well with mom and everything”, Erani trailed off shrugging awkwardly. “Anyways. Want to get food with me, it can be like last year”

 

Gisela considered for a moment. “Sure” she said, joining her friend. It was good to having friends. Even if it was hard.

 

XXXX

 

She was back on the temple. Back on the spire. 

 

She hadn’t been here for months, not since she had lost herself. 

 

Not since....

 

She had spent a day in bed and a week with a headache, slowly reaching back into her magic. 

 

Meditation was so much harder. She had opened herself up and couldn’t close herself off. It was hard. She had been afraid to go to deep. Afraid to go back to the place that had once given her so much comfort.

 

She still was.

 

_ Nowhere to go but through,  _ Gisela reminded herself as she once again turned from the view. Once again turned to face the pentagram and the inscriptions on the stone spire. 

 

_ Nowhere to go but through. _

 

“No choice right?” Gisela asked, only half sarcastic.

 

“You can do it Gisela, you were so close the first time- all you need to do is keep better control and that just comes with time. You are gifted within the clouds, this is within your purview and it would be a shame if you ran from this aspect of you power” 

 

The stony look in the Priest’s eyes was telling, Gisela wasn’t going to get out of this.

 

_ Nowhere to go but though. _

 

Gisela breathed.

 

XXXX

 

Gisela laughed as Cadra told her about the last time she had taken a written test, gesticulating wildly as she explained just how she had managed to cheat so masterfully. Normally Gisela was against cheating but even she had to admit that Cadra had style. 

 

“So that's why I now have separate tests, my gift allows me to record, manipulate and organize the written word” 

 

“So you have an entire library in your head?” 

 

“Kinda. I have to upload it first, I can’t see it all in my head”

 

“That's still really cool”

 

“Thanks” Cadra said magnamusly, “I try.”

 

Gisela didn’t even try to stop the laughter pouring out of her. 

 

This was much better than being alone.

 

XXXX

 

Gisela hesitated outside the door, even two years and elven visits later she still found herself hesitating at the door, wondering about the reaction she would get.

 

It wasn’t that neither side was trying, Gisela could tell that even Chiosca was making an effort. Even so it was hard.

 

Magic was so much easier than people. 

 

Even so Gisela raised her fist to knock one more time.

 

The door swung open.

 

It was reflexive. A wall of clouds to stop the impact of the door on her face. 

 

Two years ago it had taken everything Gisela had to do this.

 

Now it took barely a thought.

 

_ Opps.  _

 

She pulled the clouds to dispense as soon as she could but the damage had already been done. She had already summoned them. Had already used them.

 

She watched Gastislion’s face. His eyes were wide and his mouth was gaping open.

 

Gisela wanted to laugh at the expression, she hadn’t seen anyone make a face quite like it before.

 

The nausea in her stomach was what stopped her. She tried so hard to keep her magic away, to pretend that she was just at some boarding school or something and that it was okay. She hadn’t ever really talked about her magic. Not ever.

 

Gastislion was still staring.

 

Gisela didn’t know what to do. 

 

She never did.

 

Luckily Gastislion broke the moment, catapulting into hugging Gisela. 

 

“That. Was. Awesome”, he said as he pulled back, grabbing Gisela’s hand and pulling her back inside the gate. “That was epic, it was like Bang and Woosh and Floof and can everyonedo that atthetempebecause it's really cool” 

 

_ That's one response.  _ Gisela couldn’t help her relief. He didn’t hate her. 

 

Gisela wondered when she had started to care about her second familles opinion. She hadn’t cared about it before she had moved to the temple. 

 

_ I’ll worry about it later,  _ Gisela planned and let herself listen to Gastislion’s chatter about what had happened in the neighborhood in the past two months. 

 

It was good to be back, if only for a little while.

 

XXXX

 

Gisela hurtled down from the sky, the wind stinging her face as she dove, the ground rushing up to meet her.

 

_ Not Today! _

 

It was a simple twist of her will and she was moving, caught on her solid grey cloud as she rose back up in the air, the grin hurting almost as much.

 

It was so worth it. 

 

She could fly.

 

XXXX

 

It was her birthday and Gisela wasn’t sure how to react. Birthdays weren’t a big deal in Caelum and they mattered even less at the temple.

 

_ I can’t believe that I’m fifteen now. _

 

Gisela remembered coming to the temple like it was only weeks ago. She remembered how she hadn’t been able to find her way around, how awkward it had been at first. 

 

How she could barely summon a cloud without exhaustion, much less sense all the clouds in the sky.

 

She had her own room now too, Iya having moved up from the lowest rankings of innate. She would be taking the Trials of The Hidden One soon.

 

Gisela hoped that Iya did well, the other girl had always worked really hard. 

 

Thankfully they had gotten on better than in Gisela’s first few months. It had taken time before they could talk well but it was worth it. 

 

Somewhere along the line the temple had become a home. 

 

Gisela glanced at herself in the mirror, checking if her chiton was on right if she was ready for the day. 

 

_ Check.  _ Everything was straight and need, it was time to get to work.

 

She was working on her meditation today, she was getting much better at reading the weather and she didn’t want to let her mentor down. Nobody had believed in Gisela in ages. It was a good feeling. 

 

She closed her door and went to face her day.

 

She felt something change. They all did. It was like the world went dark for a moment as everything was sucked up.

 

Gisela couldn’t breathe. It was like being back there, back after Before. 

 

She couldn’t feel the magic, she felt floppy and weak. Something was wrong. Very wrong. 

 

The lights in her room flickered in the corner of her vision as she huddled, the wall to her back. 

 

This was not good and Gisela didn’t know what else she could do to stop it. 

 

Her started to ache, something felt wrong like everything was subtly off. 

 

Was not right.

 

Something was being broken.

 

Was being bent.

 

Something was being gathered that should not be gathered and 

 

And then it was over.

 

She felt the tension leave the world like a bursting balloon, just with no actual force. 

 

Just like that it was over.

 

Gisela slide down, savoring the feeling of the rough stone wall on her back. She felt tense. She was shaking. When had she started shaking? She tried to meditate, to slip into the trance that had become so easy for her over the years.

 

She couldn’t. She couldn’t calm down. Just that fact made it worse and she felt air rushing in and out of her lungs. 

 

Control.

 

Control.

She wrestled herself back under control, forcing the air in and out in a steady pattern. She didn’t have time to break, she didn't’t have time to panic. She needed to see what had happened to the rest of the temple.

 

She needed to know if everyone was okay.

  
XXXX  
  
  


Gisela dangled her feet off the top of the temple as she gazed at the city sprawled before her.  _ It’s been five years  _ she thought as she relished the sunlight that she had predicted. 

 

She had worked hard to be able to read the weather. It felt nice to be right, to be good at something new.

 

She felt alive now. It was good to feel alive. She addressed a quick prayer of thanks to the Hidden One for her luck, it was good to have somewhere to belong. 

 

The shock wave had passed. Something had happened in Fiore but nobody was talking. Vaguely Gisela wondered if it had anything to do with Fairy Tail.  _ Not that it matters really. As long as it never happens again. _

 

She addresed another quick prayer, hoping that they were listening to her.

 

“Enjoying the view”, Priest Taneyos said as she approach, Gisela pulling her legs up and standing up carefully.

 

“Yeah it's really pretty up here”

 

“I’m glad. I have news for you. The temple of Ycius has need of me as you have done quite well in your training I am putting you in charge of the weather for the next week”

 

“I”, Gisela stuttered, “I don’t, are you sure? The crystals were shattered in the wave and we haven't finished the new ones ”

 

“Of course we are, I know you will not fail me. Even without the crystals I am sure you will not let the temple down.”

 

“I won’t let you or the temple down”, Gisela promised.

 

She reached out, already trying to read the weather.

 

She could feel a storm on the horizon. Luckily it was a small one, it wouldn’t cause to much damage. 

   
  
  



	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my final chapter with no canon characters, I hope it came out right as it was really hard to write

The second Gisela knew she was wrong she ran in, chasing the real storm- not the blob of ethernanos that she thought she had been sensing. I should have told someone, I should have told someone. But Priest Taneyos had told her not to, and Gisela hadn’t wanted to disappoint her mentor. 

She hadn’t wanted to let the women who taught her magic down.

She had to tell someone now.

Even so she knew she would be too late. 

The boats were already off. People were already sailing and nobody was prepared for the flood that was coming. Nobody was prepared for the storm that had suddenly blown up in Gisela’s sensing, growing far far faster than she had ever expected. 

Even so she had too. There had to be something that they could do.

Someway that they could protect people from Gisela’s mistake. 

She darted down the tunnels, almost tripping on her chition in her hurry. I don't have time for this!

She forced herself up the stairs, barely stopping as she swung around the corner. 

She didn’t hesitate. A wave of cloud punched the door open, just weak enough it didn’t shatter the door.

She had to make it in time, she didn’t want to think about what would happen if she didn’t.

She dashed though that to. Hurtling through a clear barrier, headless of what she had passed.

People were staring at her. 

No time for that! “Emergency” she gasped out, trying to control her breathing. “The weather, big storm coming”, she took in another deep breath as she watched their faces change. “Need to warn people”.

She had definitely interrupted an important meeting. Gisela stood their, her desperate message delivered and unsure of what to do. Should she keep talking? 

It was Priest Antila who moved first, “thank you for telling us innate”, he said soothing, like he was talking to a small animal. “We will alert people. Would you like some water”.

As he spoke Gisela could see the other people in the room glavaining themselves into action. 

That was good. She wasn’t the only one who knew now. “That would be great”, she said, some control back. Gisela tried to ignore how he herded her out of the room. She needed to know that it would be okay, that no one would be hurt by her blunder.

She felt the sweat on her back for the first time, when had she started sweating? Doesn’t matter. 

“What's wrong”, he asked soothingly. 

Nowhere to go but through.

“The storm, I don’t know why it's so bad. Me”, she stopped for a moment, correcting her grammar, “Priest Taneyos and me, have been expecting interference since the shock waves and the crystals but it wasn’t so bad and she didn’t want to tell anyone and I don’t know what to do if this really hurt people”. Once she started talking she couldn’t stop. When- if people died it would be her fault for not telling. For messing up her magic.

“Calm down” he said steadily, putting his hands on her shoulders. Gisela tried not to flinch. “You did good warning up, we can take it from here”

“Promise”. Gisela was surprised at how small her voice sounded.

“I promise. Now let's get you some water”

For the first time since she felt the storm building,Gisela felt that things would be alright.

 

She was wrong. 

The signs of wreckage were everywhere in trees that had been blown down and debris scattered to the winds. It the richer areas it had been cleaned up but Gisela found herself working long hours alongside Cadra and Ferntu, trying to help out.

There was just so much damage. 

It was all her fault. If only she had gotten the warning out sooner. 

It's not your fault, the weather has been off for weeks, she tried to reassure herself in quiet moments when she wasn’t handing out food, grey chiton brown with grime. You did your best. 

Sometimes it helped, mostly Gisela waited for her mentor to come back. She felt the need desperately as she asked for news each day. She knew that Priest Taneyos was on her way back, was coming as fast as she could. 

Gisela couldn’t wait untill she got back. Priest Taneyos would understand. Gisela could hold on until then.

Could deal with the whispers and the stares even as she worked, trying to bend her magic into something useful to help people. 

Still Gisela could feel the mood changing.

It was in the tenseness, in the way that she was always asked twice about the weather- Gisela understood that one, even respected then need to be sure. She would do the same thing in their place. Still the sense of failure was crushing. They deserved better than her, why wasn’t there anyone else who could have reach out and warned everyone else. She had tried. She had tried so hard to be better.

It was all her fault. If she had just been better, just been more aware. If she had been better. 

The stares as she walked back to the house were hostile, not just curious. 

Before people might wave to her on occasion, now whispers followed her and she felt ice down her back. 

Still, she went on. Nobody had told her anything about her family and she was worried. They would have told me if somebody died, Gisela reassured herself. They are fine. 

The door swung open as Gisela neared and she saw Gastislion dart out, grabbing her hand. Dragging her inside. The doors shut just as fast.

“Moms really mad”, he told her, looking down somely. 

“Chiosca is?” Gisela felt the need to confirm. To poke the hurt just a little more.

“She is” he confirmed. “I just wanted to warn you”

“Thanks”, Gisela said, feeling the stone form as her stomach twisted itself into knots. She didn’t want to know what awaited inside. Still, she had to know, “everyone's okay right? Nobody died” 

“No one”, he grabbed her hand again, starting to tug, “now let's go, you would make mom more mad if you are late”

“Good idea”. It would be hard enough already. Gisela had a bad feeling about this. 

Gastislion slipped away as they approached the closed door, tightening his grip for a second before letting go, giving her a quick smile. 

That was nice. 

There was no food waiting in the dining room and Chiosca and Lynoonse had hard expressions on their faces. Gisela felt the small hope in her heart go cold. 

This would not be good. 

She hovered awkwardly, fighting the instinct to flee. 

She could not advance, her legs started to feel like stone. 

“Sit”, Chiosca said sharply, beckoning. Move! Gisela pushed herself forward. The bench felt awkward as she sat down, trying not to shift. 

Chiosca started to open her mouth, just as fast Lynoonse reached out and put a hand on Chiosca’s arm. The intent was obvious, this was bad.

“Gisela”, Lynoonse began haltingly, “You know we have tried really hard to stay a family you know. We have let you come home and supported you as best we could, even if it wasn’t the direction we had hoped for you”

“Where are you going with this”, Gisela asked, shocked by the unsteadiness in her voice. 

“It’s”, he seemed to gain steam and Chiosca opened her mouth again, “it's that it might not be best for you to come back. You see, you see after that storm views on the temple have taken an” he trailed off for a moment before picking back up, “and it might not be best for you to come back anymore”

“You are kicking me out”. She felt cold, numb. 

“It not like-”, Lynoonse started to say.

“We told you your magic was okay as long as nothing happened to the family. This storm has changed public opinions to the point that it would hurt the rest of us to have you visiting, therefore we request that you not come back. It's for the families sake”

“For the family's sake”, Gisela parroted it, glancing back at Lynoonse seeing if he thought anything else.   
He was looking down, fidgeting. When Gisela tried to meet his eyes he glanced away. 

Gisela breathed, pulling her years of meditation around her. It was cold and clear there, she didn’t have to think, didn’t have to feel. 

Chiosca was watching her, eyes steady and clear. “I’m glad you understand. I believe that Ca and Maape wish to say goodbye to you. You may see them before you leave, I requested that they wait in their room. I know you know the one.”

“Thank you”. She felt disconnected as she pushed herself up from her seat. Legs than arms to stabilize, once she was standing she pushed the door open and walked up the stairs.

Up.

Up. 

Up.

Turn the corner. 

There, their door.

Turn the knob.

Open the door. 

Look up. Take in their faces, Ca looked focused as Gisela meet her eyes. Warm. Gisela looked down, Maape was hugging her. It was warm. Gisela brought up her arms to echo the hug and leaned in. It was nice.

Ca joined for a moment. It was warm, comforting. 

Then it was over. “I’m sorry”. It was Ca, looking at Gisela, I should reassure her. “I have the temple, I will be okay.” 

“Okay” 

It looked like Ca wanted to say something, Gisela did to. The silence was a gulf between them, one that Gisela did not know how to reach across. 

“Bye”. That was Maape, eyes red. Gisela reach out for a quick hug, Maape reaching back. Then that was over too, it was time to go.

“We will walk you out”, Maape offered.

“Just to the door”, Ca continued, “I know Gastislion wants to say goodbye too”

“Right”. They walked down the stairs in silence. Vaguely Gisela wondered where Mr. Cornwallis was, she didn’t see him in the quick glance she had at the kitchen. 

I hope he’s alright.

Then they were at the door. Gastislion joining them. One more hug, Gisela joined in, feeling the sense of finality. This was a goodbye. 

Then it was time to leave. They were at the gate, hug disengaged. 

“Bye”. Gisela turned and started to walk. Left foot, right foot, left foot right foot. She looked back, she could barely make them out waiting inside the gate. No. She made herself turn her head back around. There was no point in looking back. 

The stares felt heavy on her back as she walked through the market. She had forgotten to take a side route. 

The tension was mounting. Gisela walked faster, ducking around the few pielles of rubble, of failure. Something went whistling past her face, bouncing off a cloud. A rock. Somebody had thrown a rock at her. 

Gisela started running, then floating. She wasn’t supposed to use her magic like this, use her gifts like this. She wasn’t supposed to be like this. 

Even so she rode her cloud, keeping balance on it as she took in the ruined city. The places where it was still dark with mud, broken down with rubble. 

Gisela looked away, looking up at the clear blue sky, it looked so innocent. Not at all like it had looked during the storm, the breeze that whirled around her was gently, it did not rip her or redirect her. 

If she didn’t look down she was free.

Unfortunately she had too land. The trees of the temple district had too felt the onslaught, Gisela past two great trees, Ferntu would know the type, that had been felled in the storm. The rings exposed. They had been ended just like that. Like all those years didn’t matter. Do trees get reborn? It didn’t really matter. Even so the thought bugged Gisela, she hoped so. It was a nice thought.

Gisela didn’t have a lot of nice thoughts at the moment. 

Then she was at the temple gates, she didn’t know the priest standing watch. I should ask their name, a part of her thought distantly. Gisela didn’t have the energy. Numbly she walked back to her dorm and sprawled out on her bed. Cold and numb.

She faded out.

She woke up still numb, half ghost half girl, as she rose wandering into the main hall to grab her breakfast. It was the night before’s leftovers, nobody else was up yet. 

The spanakopita tastes like ash in her mouth as she washed it down with tepid water. 

Then it was time to go back to the tower. She had the weather to read, as much of the weather as she could. It was all she could do. It was not enough. 

Even so she went up the stairs. 

It would be worse if she didn’t. She took the quiet routes, there were less people that way. She didn’t want to talk to anybody. 

Then she was at the top of the tower, the crystals were still broken and the sun was still rising. The city stretched out below her, so very far away.

Gisela sat. 

She breathed, falling into her trance and reaching out. She skimmed over breezes as she felt for the clouds, felt for the patterns, for anything that she could pick up. 

Many clouds, some rain.

She felt the world pulling on her, felt the energy drawing her out, encouraging her to dance. It would be so easy to follow it.

What would happen to everyone? It was a small thought but she grabbed on. It’s my fault anyways, if I had been more open, better at growing and healing then they wouldn’t of had to get rid of me. If I had predicted the storm, if, if if. 

She felt a little warmer as bile rose in her throat, a reaction. She threw herself back out, feeling the clouds again, a reaction. 

There was another presence on the roof, Gisela felt it. Her magic whispered against Gisela’s, a gentle touch.

She didn’t even open her eyes as she threw herself into her mentor’s arms, reaching for comfort as she felt her body shake with uncontrollable sobs. 

She wasn’t sure what she was saying as she babbled, just that she had failed and that she was awful and that it was all her fault and she didn’t know what to do and that something was wrong with theirmagicandthatshehadn’ttoldanybodyand-

She was pushed back. The hands were warm on her cheeks.

“Gisela breathe”, the priest said steadily. 

She tried to get control of her shuddering body.

In…

Out..

In…

Out…

“Better”

Gisela nodded jerkiling, trying to maintain the little stability she had gained. 

“Good, now why don’t you try and tell me again. This time slower”

Gisela took in one more big breath, “I didn’t tell anybody about the irregularity like you asked and then the storm hit and things are a mess and someone tried to throw a rock at me in the market and they kicked me out and things are a mess and I don’t know what to do”

“You did not tell anybody”, the priest clarified.

“You asked me not too”. That didn’t mean Gisela didn’t regret it, maybe they could have found something, fixed something, done something-

“Okay”

“What do we do now?”. Gisela was trying to keep on topic, to stop her thoughts from wandering off. 

“We do our best to maintain our standing in the temple and aid in repairs”  
“Do we tell them about our difficulties”

“I will do that”, the older woman said steady. For a second Gisela thought she saw hesitation but then it was gone. I’m not the only one who is a mess. Somehow that was almost comforting. 

“Thank you. Do you think things will get better?”. It was a stupid question to ask, hopeful and naive, Gisela knew that, even so she couldn’t help but ask.

“I hope so. Now I believe we have work to do”. 

“I think it is just going to be cloudy but I would not complain about checking”

“Then let's do that”

It was routine at this point, they balanced by sitting on opposite sides of the roof as they reached out reading the world with their magics.

It felt almost normal. Life seemed more stable after that. 

Gisela didn’t tell anyone about how she wasn’t going home again. She might in a month or so when people asked about why she hadn’t made her normal trip but for now she could push that down as she sunk back into the routine of helping with repairs and reading the weather.

As the next week passed Gisela could feel the tension filling the air, like screws were slowly being tightened. 

The Assembly was meeting soon, and Gisela had the feeling that they were not happy.

The day of the Assembly arrived and Gisela awoke. It felt normal. She walked up the tower, she thought about flying it but knew it would be a waste of magic before a magic intensive activity.

Also she was totally done with awful magic headaches, there was that too.

The weather looked okay, bright and clear. Even so Gisela found herself second guessing as she reported it to the communications mage. She wasn’t mad at the doubt that still lingered in the other woman's voice, Gisela shared the same feelings. It was just how it was. 

She was just glad she didn’t have to testify, that was her mentors job. Even so Gisela joined with the other mages in one of the side rooms, getting ready to make the short walk to the meeting house. 

Just because she wasn’t speaking didn’t mean that she shouldn’t be there. 

The walk over was solem. Gisela kept pace with Priest Senya, she had none of charistic tricks with water going, none of the swirls she was so very found of, and they were far more bunched together than normal.

This is my fault, Gisela reminded herself as they went, if I had been better… just because nobody in the temple seemed to hate Gisela didn’t mean it wasn’t her fault. She let her head hang low, studying the cobbles rather than facing the harsh gazes from around. 

They would have plenty of those soon, anybody could watch the Assembly afterall.

Gisela tried to press down her anxiety when Instead of the normal area that they stood in they were herded to an area farther back. It was quieter and more isolated here. It was also a little harder to see. 

The ringing of the bell signaled the start of the meeting as the chattering from the other watchers subsided. 

They were not the first issue. 

Nor the second.

By the third Gisela felt her stomach tie itself into knots.

Finally they were up.

Well not Gisela, but the temple was the matter. 

Her throat felt dry and scratchy, as she tried to control her breathing. 

She couldn’t focus, things seemed blurring.

In…

Out…

In… 

Out…

She forced herself to meditate as she hovered on the line before blackness. It was odd, Gisela didn’t quite feel connected to the still blurry world but it was better than losing control. She couldn’t lose control now. 

“You okay?”, Priest Senya asked, her face drawn into a tight frown.

“I will be”, Gisela replied sharply before trying to focus on the speakers again. She needed to know what was said.

“-and there needs to be reparation. We chose to trust your weather, what proof can you offer that something such as this will not happen again”.

“While we chose not to disclose whose fault this was to the masses, we as the temple of the Hidden One guarantee that we will speak to the person at fault”, High Priest Rimea said smoothly.

They hadn’t spoken to her yet. Maybe Priest Taneyos had taken the blame, Gisela didn’t know. After that it was even harder to focus, all she could do was try to breath until she felt a firm nudge. Then another. 

She looked up, tasting copper in her mouth as she tried to focus. It was Priest Senya. “Time to go”, the older woman said as she hearded Gisela out of the building. 

The tension was still there, now it was inside. Just keep breathing, just keep breathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeepbreathingjustkeep-

“We’re here”. Again it was Priest Senya’s voice that snapped Gisela out of her loop and back to reality. She glanced around rapidly. They were already back at the temple. They had stopped, why had they stopped?

High Priest Rimea was talking, that was why they had stopped. Gisela tried to focus.

“-and Gisela”

“Yes”, she said, high pitched.

“Come to my office”. Then she switched her attention back to the group, “and everyone else, we need to get back to work. By the graces of the deities we will get through this”.

The murmur of prayer filled the group like running water before they all dispersed, leaving Gisela standing awkwardly.  
The High Priest was walking, Gisela followed her. 

She could do that. 

They were back in the office. Priest Taneyos was waiting for them. That helped and Gisela felt herself relax a little as she dropped into the other chair and waited for somebody else to start.

“I know how to start this conversation, I’m sorry”, the High Priest as she stared at them leveliy, “I understand that magic is unreliable and the deities test even the best of us. Unfortunately our Assembly is less tolerant. As a temple we do not blame you but as a temple we must do something. For this I am sorry”

Gisela couldn’t speak, it felt like she was drowning.

“We understand”, her mentor said smoothly, “I hope you understand that I was out of town and thus can not be held responsible for anything that happened”

What. It felt like the bottom had dropped of Gisela’s world. Like she had just fallen off the sharp side of the knife. 

“I-”, she tried to speak but the words got stuck in her throat. 

“While we will have to talk about why you did not tell the temple about the problem with the crystals I do hear your point and we will be having a conversation later about your own punishment”, Gisela tasted copper at that, it was the first time the word punishment had been mentioned, “but for now you are dismissed. Gisela, please stay”

She sat, numb as Priest Taneyos left the room, door closing softly behind her.

The High Priests denamor seemed to change slightly as the other women left, she seemed to say slightly. “I’m sorry Gisela, you will have to leave Caelum”.

“What”, Gisela couldn’t help but shout. “Why”

“You were responsible for the mispredictions that caused Caelum not to be prepared. While I understand that there were mitigating factors and have been trying to plead for leniency my words have gone mostly unheaded. I’m sorry Gisela, there is nothing we can do. Your old family has considerable pull, as does the rest of the assembly, and even sending you to another temple would likely end badly”

Gisela didn’t want to cry anymore. It was odd. The bomb had dropped, suddenly the world was clear. There was no point in fighting. “What are my options, when do I have to leave and, where can I go”. Logic, she could do that.   
“You can go to any other country and we will provide you with a ride and some papers. As for when you should go I would advise soon. Tensions are rising and I fear that we will not be able to mitigate them soon. Do you have a place you wish to go?”

“Fiore”. It was a whim but why not. Everything else was falling apart.

As soon as it was out the High Priest looked at her sharply, “I would have expected Minstrel”

“It's too close” 

“I see. I believe that there is a voyage leaving tomorrow. We should be able to get you out of the country on that”

“It wouldn’t be safe”

“What?”

“If I stayed, there's no way that I could?”. Gisela didn’t want to beg. 

“I’m sorry”

“All right, what time does the ship leave?”

“Dawn tomorrow. I believe Priest Senya will walk you to the docks” 

“Okay”

Gisela didn’t have the energy to react anymore. Once again she found herself ghosting back to her room, splayed out on the bed.

Suddenly she was laughing as harsh sounds ripped out of her throat. She had spent so much time pushing others away this only made sense. This was what she deserved after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note, there was a lot of behind the scenes talks that Gisela didn't see. Her being banished did not come out of the blue for anyone higher up, only for her


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Canon character appears, try not to faint in shock. Sorry for missing last week, finals are "fun"

If someone asked her to remember how she had gotten on the ship Gisela wasn’t sure what she would tell them. It was like being in meditation, cool, clear and distant except everything had gone foggy. 

 

She knew she had told the High Priest that she couldn’t go home, she just didn’t remember when. She knew that.

 

Everything was moving too fast, she already had passage on a ship secured for Fiore, she knew that.

 

Her stuff was bagged, she knew that.

 

She knew that what few possessions she had, ones that did not truly belong to the temple, had been back into a soft suitcase. 

 

She had left the suitcase in the room on the boat she was sleeping in. She knew that. 

 

Cadra had said goodbye, dragging her into a hug with Ferntu and Gisela had even seen Iya wave. That had lifted the numbness for a moment. Gisela knew that.

 

But still, now she sat at the stern of the ship, trying to to look back, she wished ships went faster, Gisela knew that.

 

It would be around a week look trip to Fiore. 

 

Gisela knew that.

 

Time was passing, Gisela knew that. Somehow she could rile up enough feeling to care. Instead she sat and watched as her world was yanked away from her once again.

 

There were arms around her. Gisela didn’t know whose.

 

“I’m sorry” a voice whispered to her, full of emotion.

 

Gisela recognized that voice though she hadn’t heard it in years.

 

She knew who was hugging her.

 

“Anjay”, she exclaimed, shock cutting through the nothingness. Looking at them, they looked well. Clothes batter by the sea and hair swept to the side, wild and free. Unchained and unbroken. They were smiling. 

 

“Glad you still recognize me”, they said, grinning as they stood back up. They put a hand in Gisela’s face.

 

“Come on”

 

She was supposed to grab the hand. Right. Gisela could do that. Gisela let Anjay grab her hand and pull her up. “I didn’t know you were on this ship”. It was something to break the silence. 

 

“I’ve been here for a while. I left the  _ Chiosca  _ cause the real one had issue with my magic so I got politely fired from the ship. She really does not like magic, does she? I’m not working for people can’t accept all of me, not when there are plenty of other ships in the sea. Literally”. They laughed for a moment, stopping when they saw Gisela wasn’t laughing with them.

 

“I’m sorry”

 

“Why”

 

“Because if not for me then you would still have your job and it's my fault that Chiosca found out and I am sorry”

 

“I just said it was fine”. Anjay hugged Gisela again. 

 

Gisela still felt cold.  _ Anjay isn’t mad.  _ She repeated to herself. 

 

It was still another failure. She knew that.

 

After a few seconds Gisela broke the hug, tumbling slightly as the ship bucked beneath her. Desperately she tried to come up with something, anything to say. She was drawing a blank as her heart sank into her stomach.

 

This was worse than being numb.

 

Much worse.

 

“You are not doing okay”, Anjay said bluntly. “Even I can tell and I haven't seen you in like five years, tell you what, lets go inside and get some food and then we can work on our magic. As your teach I want to see how much you have improved”.

 

“I messed up. It’s my fault”, Gisela said without preamble.

 

“What’s your fault?”

 

“The storm. It's why I can’t stay at the temple. If I had been better than I would have realized how strong the storm was but the ethernanos in the clouds were all over the place and our crystals broke in a magic shock wave and now things are all mess up”, Gisela felt her voice go higher and higher as she talked, everything spilling out once more. Anjay wanted to see her magic. Gisela didn’t want to disappoint them.

 

“None of that is your fault”, Anjay tried to comfort Gisela. They put a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “Something funny, or many things funny, have been going on with magic recently, I have had trouble reading the currents as well. We are actually going to check out the source”

 

“The source”

 

“Yeah, me and a girl, Kagura, are going to this island where Etherion fired to investigate”

 

“Is that allowed?”

 

“It should be. Kagura got papers, you want to come with”

 

Gisela remembered a tower vaguely, Ezra had had something to do with it a lifetime ago. It was the Tower of something, maybe heaven or paradise? Something like that, funny how those words were related in Common Fiorean. She was probably getting them mixed up somehow. Either way it was to resurrect Zeref, who was actually still alive even if nobody knew that. Gisela remembered. that much It really was a waste.  _ I wonder if it is that tower?  _ It was an interesting thought. Either way it was something, maybe, maybe it would explain why things had been so screwy with her magic. 

 

“It's worth a try?”, Gisela offered.

 

“Right!”, Anjay said, steering Gisela back to the cabin of the ship, “first you need to eat. We will be stopping there a few days from now and I want to see how you have grown”

 

“Okay”. It was a goal, Gisela liked goals- she could focus on them.

 

Anjay’s arm was a reassuring warmth on Gisela’s shoulder as they walked, the sea spay feeling cold on Gisela’s face. There was a gull cawing loudly, why hadn’t Gisela noticed that before?

 

Either way she was soon sat down on the bench with a bowl of some sort of vegetable soup in front of her and a spoon in her head.

 

It was bland at first but not ash and it was warm going down, spoon by spoon until she reached the bottom of the bowl. 

 

Then she was given seconds without even asking. Anjay getting her a second serving with a grin, “sailors privilege. Not rationing yet”.

 

“Thanks”, Gisela said, trying to pull her lips into a smile. Anjay deserved that at least. 

 

She finished that bowl too. It sat in her stomach, a pool of warmth amongst the cold that had consumed her. 

 

Then it was time. As Anjay got the deck cleared Gisela saw a girl coming up. She was strong. That was Gisela’s first thought. 

 

This was a girl whose heart was strong as steel, who had the courage to make her own path. 

 

Kagura Mikazuchi was strong.

 

“Right”, Anjay said, ushering the other girl over to where Gisela stood, half concealed by a crate. “Gisela this is Kagura, she has Gravity Magic that she is working on. Kagura, this is Gisela, she uses Cloud Magic. I, as you both know, am Anjay, I use Current Magic and I am very excited to see what my little learners can do”

 

Gisela watched Kagura’s face. She couldn’t help it, watching the other girl fight a blush was funny, she didn’t realize that young!Kagura could be so easily flustered.  _ Wait. I just thought young Kagura, and I knew her last name.  _ The realization was shredding through the numbness,  _ it really is Fairy Tail, isn’t it. This is a canon character. This is my first canon character.  _

 

“It is nice to meet you”, Kagura Mikazuchi said formally. “I looked forward to practicing with you”

 

“Me to”, Gisela said, just barely keeping her voice steady. 

 

With nothing else to do she reached down, her clouds were weak but they were there, just waiting to come up.

 

That was something. 

 

Gisela knew that.

 

Suddenly she was thrust up in the air, launched by a force out of her control. This was not her clouds. 

 

The sky was blue as she was pulled ever up, the wind carding through her hair. 

 

Then she could see the deck. 

 

She was going down.

 

Her clouds came, almost reflexive to catch her and slow her fall, the second verse, same as the first save for that it was in reverse.

 

She wiped the wind tears out of her eyes as she stared at Kagura. The other girl was defiantly blushing now.

 

“Was that your magic”, Gisela asked bluntly. If they let this be a silence than it would never be broken, Gisela didn’t have the energy for that. She knew that.

 

“Yes. It appears I need to work more on my control. I apologize”

 

“It’s okay”. Gisela wanted to tell her about her accidents, about the times that she had made her clouds too soft or too hard but then she remembered her mentor, remembered and the words were gone. “It’s okay” she repeated for lack of anything else to say. 

 

“Good strength Kagura but you need to work on when it is released, you were trying to make that crate rise, right?”

 

“Yes”

 

“You spread your focus to wide than, Gravity magic can be incredibly strong but you need to have precision. Try to narrow you focus to just the crates, hold them in your mind without the scenery” 

 

“But if I do that than I will lose my situational awareness”

 

“That will come with practice”. Then they switched their focus to Gisela, “nice job catching yourself, your clouds have gotten stronger. What do you want to do with them”

 

_ What do I want to do with them?  _ It was a question, Before magic had been a dream, a wish to be special, than it had been a hope, a way to make the life she hadn’t wanted better. Next it had been a way to find a new home. Now. Now Gisela just wasn’t sure what she wanted. 

 

She had magic, she just didn’t know what to do with it. 

 

She would give it up if it would get her family back. 

 

“I don’t know”.

 

“That's okay, do you have any plans for when you go to Fiore”, Anjay asked curiously. 

 

“Not really”. Gisela didn’t have the energy to explain why she left the temple. 

 

“You should talk to Kagura, as far as I know she is going to go around seeing if she can track down her brother. It’s something”

 

_ I have the feeling I am missing something, I’ll worry about it later.  _ “Maybe. I doubt Kagura would want me traveling with her though”.  _ I would be surprised if anybody did _

 

“You should still ask her anyways. It would be good for you because you don’t really know anything about Fiore and you might be able to help her out. Besides company is a nice thing, there is a reason I chose to sail ” 

 

“Thanks”. 

 

“Now practice”. Gisela doged out of Anjay’s hands as she was shooed back over to the main part of the deck.

 

It was time to try. Landing was once thing, constant manipulation was another. She didn’t want to disapoint Anjay and Kagura and then they wouldn’t like her and they would see how useless she was because she was a mess up and-

 

Gisela forced herself to breath.

 

In.

 

Out.

 

_ I can do this.  _ It was an old exercise, one she had done quite a lot. She could do this. 

 

She breathed, focusing as she created a cloud in front of her. She could always work on making sure her precision was up to scratch. She had to get better, she didn’t know where she was going but nobody would want a useless mage.  

 

She breathed. She could do this.

 

_ Shape. _

 

A ship floated in front of her, a replica of the ship that they were on. 

 

_ Shape.  _

 

There was a tree, a far more actuate tree than normal. For one it had leaves rather than blobs. It wasn’t good enough.

 

_ Shape. _

 

A bust of Anjay hovered in front of her, hairy even more poofy than normal.

 

_ Shape. _

 

A sword, Gisela flung in forward with a gesture of her hand. It bounced off the crate, sticking for a second before dissipating.

 

_ Shape _

 

A strawberry, seeds outlined.

 

_ Shape. _

 

A hand, fist formed to punch. The fingers shifting almost naturally as she manipulated it.

 

_ Shape. _

 

It shifted faster and faster as Gisela focused, a rose, the tower, a crystal. 

 

_ Shape. Shape. Shape. _

 

“Do a snowflake” 

 

_ Shape. _

 

“A bird”

 

_ Shape.  _

 

Gisela kept going, kept bending the clouds as more suggestions came. Her world narrowed in focus to the magic she was wielding. 

 

Her eyes started to blur. She kept going, they were asking and Gisela didn’t want to fail. Shaping was easy, she could do shaping.

 

_ Shape. _

 

“A train”

 

_ Shape. Shape. Shape. _

The world was fuzzy when there was silence. She let the pair of pants dancing some traditional dance disperse as she looked up from her work.

 

It was sundown. Where had the time gone?

 

Suddenly she felt herself start to tip. She stubbled, falling until her arms met the crate, scaping on the unfinished wood. The pain was grounding.

 

It cut through the muzziness.

 

“What time is it?”. Was that her voice? She sounded all dazed and scratchy. She looked up from the wooden deck, tearing her eyes away from the grain of the wood. From following it's knots and shifts.

 

“Late, you over taxed yourself”.

 

“I did it. Were my shapes good?”

 

“They were”, Anjay said soothingly as their face came into view. “Kagura went to get us some food, I figured we could eat out here”

 

“Sure”. Food sounded good. Or at least it didn’t sound bad. She was off balance, when was she on balance. 

 

“Come on”. Gently Anjay guided Gisela over to one of the side benches. Gisela sat, grateful for the respite from the heaving deck.  _ Was it always that bad?  _ Resting felt good, Gisela could feel her focus returning. She really had gone all out. 

 

“Do you know what's for dinner?”. It never hurt to ask.

 

“Some grain, they try and switch what’s served, we had bean soup for lunch so we get grain for dinner”

 

“It was bean, I didn’t notice”.  _ What else have I missed.  _ It was a paralyzing thought, she couldn’t afford to cut out the world. 

 

“Yeah, you were really-”, Anjay cut of what they were saying to wave, “over here Kagura”, they called out, bellowing for no real reason. The winds were not that loud.

 

“Thanks”, Gisela said as she accepted the bowl of barley from Kagura as the girl took a seat on the other side of Anjay.  _ Should I?  _ “How did you practice go?”, Gisela asked hesitantly. “I think I got a little distracted with shaping”

 

“I am improving”, Kagura said formally. She did not elaborate. 

 

_ And there goes the conversation. I tried. Still.  _ Gisela could see Anjay’s disappointed face in the corner of her vision. “Where are you planning to go? Normally people do one way rides on ships like this, did you intend to live in Caelum and then just change your mind”.

 

“No”. Kagura seemed to withdraw for a moment, thinking. Maybe. Gisela wasn’t sure. Just when she was about to try another strand of conversation Kagura spoke again. “I wish to go to the Tower of Heaven. I was able to gain permission from the Magic Council so long as I reported on my findings to them as well. This was the only ship willing to take me there and even then it had to be on the way back”.

 

“Can I come?” Gisela asked impassively. If the tower was the source of the ethernanos than maybe? “I am able to look after myself and magic theory is not unknown to me, I would not slow you down”.

 

“If you want”, Kagura said naturally.

 

The excitement was the most powerful emotion Gisela had felt since then. It was nice, motivating. “May I ask why you want to go to the tower?”.

 

“I am looking for my brother. I believe he was taken there and I am looking for clues to track him down”.

 

“You haven't seen him in a long time”. Gisela wasn’t sure why asking that was important,  _ maybe I should have tried to remember the manga.  _ Regret was powerful even when Gisela knew there was nothing else she should have done. She had done her best. 

 

“We were separated when we were little. He was taken to the tower by slavers”, here Gisea heard the first change in tone from Kagura. The bile was impressive, “and I was able to hide. I have been planning to track him down since then”

 

“What was his name?”

 

“Simon”

 

Why did Gisela get a bad feeling when she heard that.  _ It’s probably nothing, nobody ever really died in Fairy Tail, at least, none of the named characters.  _ Somehow Gisela did not find that comforting.  

 

“How long have you been learning magic?”.

 

The question took Gisela by surprise and she stuttered as she answered, “around five years. You?”

 

“Three. Your magic is a different style than mine. You’re from Caelum right?”

 

“Yeah”.  _ She doesn’t know, none of them know it's okay. It’s okay.  _

 

“Why are you leaving”

 

“I didn’t fit anymore”.  _ Now who is shutting down conversations. Take that!  _

 

The haze had lifted with the food. Food and rest were great like that, the best cures for focus exhaustion Gisela had learned from long practice. It was nice, her recoveries had gotten faster and that had been more hyper focus than actual magic exhaustion.

 

“I was like that too”, Kagura offered an olive branch. “Do you have any goals”

 

“Not really”. That sounded depressing, Gisela didn’t want to make that kind of impression. When I was younger I wanted to learn more about magic, I think I might aim for that”

 

“Can you fight?”

 

That was a question. “I can shape my clouds like you saw but I have never been in a fight so I don’t know. Can you use that sword?”

 

“Yes. I don’t have a spare sword that you can use but if I taught you some hand to hand would you help me with my precision. As you saw earlier”, here she paused for a moment, “it needs work” 

 

“That works”, Gisela agreed, reaching across Anjay to seal the deal with a shake. She would bow but she still didn’t quite trust her legs. Anjay had been very quiet, Gisela respected her determination, was this what having a matchmaker was like? Except romantic and not for traveling companions, Gisela knew that she would never fall in love. 

 

Kagura looked at the offered hand for a moment before shaking, hesitant at first before firm. 

 

Gisela hoped that this was a good idea. 

  
  
  
  



	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy almost new year

Time past similarly to the first day. 

 

It was hard without the rhythm of the temple, Gisela wanted to curl back up, to pull back into her ball. She wanted to go cold and numb, to stop because she had no idea what was ahead and everything she knew was behind. Because she didn’t know what was going to happen in Fiore, because she spoke the language, both mage and common but didn’t know the culture. 

 

Because she was tired of failing, tired of not being enough. She knew that.

 

Anjay would not let her. The other person was relentless in dragging Gisela out to practice with Kagura and them. To talk about the tower and theory. 

 

It kept Gisela busy, stopped her from looking back. The part of her that was self aware knew that she needed that.

 

The rest of her just wanted to mourn. Because being numb was easy, 

 

Even so time passed. Gisela didn’t have any weapons, unlike Kagura, and her magic had no real cutting edges, unlike Anajay. However her percion was better. 

 

That wasn’t enough for them. 

 

Kagura especially was vicious and in trade for tips on precision Gisela found herself being schooled in basic hand to hand combat.

 

It was hard. Gisela was sure her butt was a permanent bruise. The only upside was that this type of training did not come with the omnipresent headache. 

 

Just omnipresent aches everywhere else.

 

It wasn’t much, just how to stand in order to keep her body as hard to hit as possible and how not to fall on a butt while fighting but it was something and it was in that way that Gisela passed the next few days.

 

Then it was time. 

 

Anjay was with the Captain, whose name Gisela kept meaning to remember but when she had been introduced she just hadn’t had the energy to ask and now she just felt too awkward. Instead Gisela settled on calling the man “Captain” in her head and avoiding all attempts at conversation. She was pretty sure that Anjay had noticed but she hadn’t been called on her deception yet so she was going for it. 

 

So what it wasn’t creative, Gisela was doing her best. Or the best that she could. She was trying.

 

Her mental littanly was cut into as the dot on the horizon seemed to solidified all at once.  _ An old illusion spell?  _

 

Her instant question was cut off by her view of the tower and the prayer that came to mind.

 

_ Lay their souls to rest in company. Allow them to be welcomed together, free to be their complete selves, unbound and unchained by man nor might. Allow them to revel in the gifts of the world and freedom. Please Quiet One, I beg of you. _

 

There had been children there, children forced into slavery to build the Tower of Heaven. Children with no knowledge of magic or freedom. It was a tower to heaven but somehow it looked more like hell.

 

It was different in real life.

 

How had she forgotten such a monstrosity. How had this faded in her memory and become just another arc. 

 

It was real.

 

Gisela was about to go into somebody else's hell.

 

She wrenched her gaze away from the tower in order to see how Kagura and Anjay were doing. She wasn’t to worried about Anjay but even in the past few days she knew just how much this tower meant to Kagura. It was in her fixation, in the way she spent so much time an money on transport. It was how she always was asking Captain how close they were. 

 

If it meant this much to Gisela, a veritable stranger, what would it mean to Kagura, someone who's history was so much more intertwined with the place. 

 

Next to her Gisela could see Kagura’s hand clenched on her sword, Gisela found herself moving into a defensive stance, instruct when the other girl was poised to attack.

 

She couldn’t see Anjay, Gisela felt panic shot through her body before she saw the other person working the sails. Right, Anjay actually had a job. They were reliable like that.

 

Soon the boat had stopped, Gisela could tell why. Rings of rock seemed to jut out from around the island, just starting to be visible. 

 

“Ready-”, Anjay started to say. She didn’t even manage to finish before Kagura was leaping down into the boat. 

 

Before she could open her mouth Gisela was jumping down as well,  _ I don’t want to mess this up.  _

 

They didn’t speak. The tower had a presence. A powerful one. Gisela’s jaw ached from how she was clenching it as Anjay swirled her hands, bringing the landing boat closer.

 

The sound only got worse. 

 

So did the sight. 

 

Even half crumbled the tower was a vision. All spires and spikes, impossibly narrow and tall. 

 

The boat rocked sharply as Anjay navigated them around yet another spire, carefully bringing them in agast a slightly smooth portion of the land. 

 

“We need to be careful”, Anjay said as they secured the boat. 

 

There was a heaviness to the island that did not want to be broken, Gisela could feel the magic even though the soles of her sandals. She needed to get better shoes.

 

“Can you feel that?”

 

“The magic, is impressive. This whole place feels like a lacrima”

 

“Yeah”

 

“What do you mean?”. It was obvious that Kagura was trying very hard not to demand answers. Luckily this was something that Gisela could explain.

 

“You said this place was hit by Etherarion right?”, Gisela didn’t wait for a response. “The longer you have the gift the more of a feel you have for it. My magic especially has a large sensory competent to it and because of that when I am in a high power area I can feel it”.

 

“The gift?”

 

Gisela felt bile rise in her throat. “I mean magic, it was a bad translation”. Kagura nodded,  _ I need to do better, I can’t slip up like that.  _

 

She needed to fit, to be better. If she had been better than-

 

“Good explanation”, Anjay said, patting Gisela’s shoulder, “now we should get going, we don’t want the Captain to have to wait” . That wasn’t the only thing that could wait, Gisela could think later. Now she needed to act.

 

“Right”.

 

There were layers of destruction as they walked. Gisela could see sharp edges from rocks and structures blown apart in the blast, shattered crystals jutting up and glowing a steady blue. 

 

Those crystals radiated magic. Strong magic. Then entire island hummed like a battery. She had already noticed that but it was so present. 

 

“Should we keep going”. Surprisingly it was Anjay who spoke. Gisela could sort of see why, the island wasn’t big and it didn’t seem to be inhabited.  _ What could Kagura be looking for? What proof can she find here.  _

 

Gisela just wasn’t quite sure.

 

“Let's look at the tower. I want to see if I can find anything there”.

 

That was that. 

 

They picked their way through the rubbled.  _ Was there a slave revolt here? I would have thought that there would be more bodies…  _

 

There was signs of inhabitants in the small stone and wood lean toos,  in the farm like areas. People had lived here, they just didn’t anymore. 

 

_ The good thing about the quiet is that it gives me time to think, but what do I know about the Tower. It was Jellal and Erza’s arc and Natsu annoyed me at the end. But Natsu was always annoying me so that was nothing new. What happened!  _ Looking back Gisela could remember Ezra having to leave then being pulled back to a finished tower. Nothing about what happened to the builders. 

 

“Where did the people go”. Gisela realized she had just said it outloud when Kagura and Anjay turned to face her.  _ Might as well see what they say,  _ “this would have taken so much labor to build and even now we can see the houses, where are the people? What happened to this place?”

 

“From what I know the Magic Council reacted thoses that they could after this place was discovered”.

 

“I read about that in a newspaper when we were in Hargeon a while ago. Not much about this place but saying that survivors had been taken into custody”. 

 

“Do you know what happened to them?”. Gisela hated being uninformed.

 

“I believe the ones who were mentally sound enough returned to their families”, Anjay said.

 

“Mentally sound enough?”.  _ That does not sound good. _

 

“Apparently many of the people who worked on the Tower in later years were taken in by the dark magic. The Council did not tell me anything more”, Kagura explained.

 

“When did you talk to the Council?”

 

“It was the first place I went. I wanted to see if my brother was there. He wasn’t”

 

“Does that mean that he is-”. Gisela didn’t want to say it, this was Fairy Tail, canon character didn’t just die! Even so if he wasn’t on the lists.

 

“No”, Kagura said, as sharp as her blade. “He is not dead. Not everyone went with the Council, apparently there was a group that left earlier with some mages who came to the island. He is with them. He has to be”.

 

“What exactly are we looking for here than?”,  _ yay Anjay, ask the important questions. _

 

“I needed to see this. I wanted to know what happened”, here Kagura hesitated for a moment before continuing, “if you guys don’t want to come with me to the tower I understand but I need to see it, I need to know this place. Also I promised the Magic Council that I would bring back samples of the lacrima, it's how I got permission to come here”.

 

Kagura’s desperation was obvious, less so was how curious Gisela was.  _ Maybe this place with help me figure out what happened to the crystals… the Etherion was high magic. Besides, Kagura isn’t kidding around and I don’t know what happens here.  _ “I’ll come too”. 

 

“I guess someone has to look after you two”, Anjay said with a dramatic sigh, “can’t let my cute little students get killed”

 

“I’m seventeen you know”

 

Kagura’s comment minged with Gisela’s, “I’m fifteen”.  _ And more than that technically.   _

 

“You’re both my cute students, no arguing”. Gisela, and Kagura to she was amused to note, were both too slow to dodge the pats to the head. 

 

“Were you always like this?”. Gisela didn’t remember Anjay being so touchy feely the last time they had met. Weren’t people more touchy feely with kids than adults? 

 

“Who knows”, then it was back to business, “now lets keep going. Most of the tower seems unstable and barely held up by the lacrima but we can keep looking for a bit Kagura.”

 

“Thank you”. It felt nice to be thanked, Gisela shovred the warmth that Kagura’s words had caused to the back of her head, she could savor them later. Now they had an exploration to conduct. 

 

If only they could find an entrance. They found where the door was but it was grown over in blue crystal, “let's not break that”. Anjay said as Kagura drew her sword. 

 

“Why”, she demanded.

 

“That’s super charged lacrima, a strong shock could cause a dangerous reaction”

 

“How else are we going to get in!”

 

“I could lift us up”, Gisela offred impulsively, “on my clouds. I have flown on them before and it would not be hard to support others. It is just a matter of a rising wall really”

 

“Let's do that”, Kagura said sharply as Anjay nodded their ascent.

 

Gisela stepped back, looking up to make sure that the blue spires of lacrima were not going to be hit if she raised the platform. She didn’t want to mess this up,  _ please don’t fail me now.  _ It wasn’t quite a prayer but it was something. 

 

Then she was out of range of the spires.  _ Time to live up to my promises.  _

 

Gisela called up her wall platform a little bit off the ground and jumped on, “I would get to the middle, I will raise it slow but clouds can be rather”, here she lagged, reaching for the right word, “bouncy if one is not used to them. Do you guys want to go all the way to the top or try and see what the tower was like on the inside”

 

“Lets try and see what it was like on the inside”, Kagura said decisively.

 

_ Careful, careful.  _ They rose steadily.

 

Cats. 

 

There were a lot of cats. Sure there was dust an evidence of a battle. Burns scatters around and some very banged up plushies. 

 

There were still a lot of cats.

 

“Want to get off here?”, Gisela offered as they looked through the window, “this room looks sound enough”. Besides there were cats. Gisela liked cats. 

 

“Lets”.  _ Looks like Kagura is in shock, I hope she is okay... _

 

Staring at them as they entered through the (cat shaped) window was a cat shaped dresser. It was a little beaten up but still grinning, echoed by the one Gisela could see on the other wall when she turned around. 

 

_ Okay… I did not expect this.  _ Even with the blue crystals that had grown into the room, impaling the second dresser it atmosphere was very different than the rest of the tower. 

 

_ Fluffy.  _

 

The rug, under the cat shaped sofa was fluffy.

 

Very fluffy.

 

They hadn't’t had fluff like that in Caelum. Gisela missed the fluff. 

 

_ No Gisela. Get off the rug.  _ It would only be a little snuggle…   _ No. You are not going to act like that now. Bad Gisela, Bad.  _

 

Jumping off the run she removed herself from the fluffy temptation.

 

_ No fluff for me…  _ she thought wistfully. 

 

Kagura had opened the unstuck dresser. Inside there were… cat toys.  _ How did this person get so many stuffed animals.  _ It was impressive. The rest of the island was desolation and destruction but this one small spot was an oasis of kitties. 

 

So many kitties. 

 

Kitty lights, kitty couches, kitty dressers, kitty rugs, kitty kitty kitty. Even the floor had a pattern of kitty paws. 

 

_ Why am I thinking of them as kitties instead of cats? I’ll worry about that later, it looks like we are about finished with this room. _

 

_ Should I? _

 

Gisela couldn’t help it. “Guess they weren’t kitten around”, she commented as she inspected the kitty shaped door hole. 

 

Who ever this was, as Gisela had a feeling she remembered, really like kitties.  

 

Nobody dignified her with a response. 

 

_ That’s fair. Not everyone can like puns the way I do.  _ She didn’t want to annoy them.

 

“Lets just check out the rest of the tower”, Kagura said, obviously not commenting on the room. 

 

It was an obvious change. Outside the room the cats vanished. So had the colors and the lights. 

 

Only the window in the other room illuminated this hallway, Gisela saw sconces on the wall where lights had once rested but they were gone now, or, if they were crystal, no longer lit. 

 

Kagura pulled a stone out of her bag, a faint whisper and it glowed, illuminating the hallway that they were walking down. 

 

“Be careful”. Kagura stopped, when Gisela walked to catch up she saw why.

 

_ Thats a big drop.  _ Before she might have gotten vertigo. Luckily she had her clouds. From the rough edges Gisela couldn’t tell if there had always been a hole in the center of the tower or if something had blown it in. 

 

Up. Up they went. 

 

Though aching halls and crumbling causeways they traversed the tower.  The higher up they went the more crystals they found, Kagura grabbing a few and putting them into a small metal box. 

 

“You really came prepared”. Gisela noted as they were walking down yet another hallway. This one was rather… elegant. They jumped across a depresion where a wooden bridge once was. 

 

The bridge had been destroyed of course, this was definitely a place that had seen heavy fighting. 

“I did. I need to be”. 

 

Right Kagura was really driven. It was impressive when she wasn’t so very intense. 

They exited the elegant room with it's painted on flowers and shards of metal scatter all over the floor, interspersed with the crystals growing up the wall.

 

_ Light.  _

 

Gisela blinked spots out of her eyes as they made it into the next room. 

 

There was a pressure. That she could feel even as the spots danced across her closed eyes. There wasn't any relief there either. The magic in this room was so bright that she could feel it even without them open. 

 

_ No! _

 

Gisela forced her eyes, open, wiping the tears away. She was not going to mess up now. 

 

She picked one of the rare stone spots to focus on, fixating on that to cut down on the pain. 

 

It helped. Sort off.

 

“I think we are almost there”, Anjay noted. Gisela was pretty sure that they were inspecting the room. 

 

“Lets keep going” 

 

The crystals were heavy here and to avoid cutting them they had to squeeze through small areas, Gisela yanked her chiton once again.  _ That's it, soon as I can I’m getting new clothes.  _

 

Finally they were out in fresh air. While there was no escape from the pressure of the humming magic up here Gisela found it… peaceful. Sort of. She could see the whole island, their ship off in the distance.

 

_ Oh.  _

 

It reminded her of the temple. 

 

“Did you find what you were looking for?”, Gisela asked as she turned away from the view, instead focusing on Kagura. 

 

“I got some samples”. Apparently Kagura was clamming up again. Okay then.

 

The hum was still there. Gisela hadn’t realized that so much magic could be concentrated in one spot.

 

“We should probably be getting back to the ship soon”. Anjay noted as she point at the sun. 

 

“Yes. Lets”. 

 

“Gisela, can your clouds go down instead of up?”, Anjay asked.

 

_ I can do this. I have done it myself lots of times, I just have to go a little slower.  _ Gisela reminded herself, pulling away from her knee jerk worry. “Yeah”. 

 

The noise from the crystals made it harder to focus, Gisela hoped they hadn’t noticed the delay. 

 

“I can keep this up to the ship if you guys want”, she offered to the other two.

 

“Just to the shore, we left a boat”

 

“Right”. Gisela tried to keep the embarrassment out of her voice, how had she forgotten that!

 

The trip back to the ship was smooth and soon they were being drawn back over broad, the tower vanishing back into the horizon. 

 

“Next stop, Fiore”, Gisela whispered under her breath. 

 

They were almost there. 


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 18 chapters in we arrive at Fiore and Gisela arrives at an awkward conclusion. Lucky her. Does my Kagura make sense?

There were pictures, a tower of crystal drawn on paper swirling with a tower. She fell and she rose.

 

She landed and the ground crumbled, ash and mist under her feet. She reached out, trying to get a grip, trying to hold on.

 

She fell anyways. 

 

Things changed, the world warped around her as she ran. She tried to grab on, tried to hold on to something anything. There were people. She ran breathlessly towards then, the breath shape on her throat as she ran through ruins, the stinking smell of corpses surrounding her. She knew the corpses were her fault. 

 

The people had turned around, why weren’t they waiting for her? 

 

Why couldn’t she catch up. She swerved as she saw a second group of people. She could catch up to them. She had to.

 

She was almost there. They were clear in her vision as she fell, down down down, the her body moving against her will.

 

_ Leave Gisela.  _ There was Gastislion.

 

_ Leave Gisela.  _ And Erani.

 

_ We don’t want you here.  _ Her mentor.

 

_ Why are you even here.  _ Cadra.

 

Senya, Chiosca, Ca, Maape, Lynoonse, Mr. Cornwallis, everyone.

 

_ LEAVE. _

 

She shot up. Her world encased in white.  Her clouds.  _ At least I didn’t hit my head, I’m good for something. _

 

It didn’t really help.

 

She turned over, burying her head in her pillow. She couldn’t drown out the noise. 

 

_ I give up.  _

 

Slipping on her shoes Gisela wandered outside, closing the door quietly as to not disturb anyone else. 

 

The air was chill, she could hear the swish of waves lapping at the boat at it sailed on, heading to its destination.

 

The stars shown in the sky. Pale, beautiful and almost not alien. Somehow that hurt the most. She could name the constellations that danced through the sky, the hunter, the dancer, the harp. There was no North Star to guide her home

 

_ I wonder if this world even has a North Star.  _ Somehow that thought was unbearably sad, there was no star to guide people home here, no star that stayed constant like that. Before she hadn’t really cared about the stars, now they were just another symbol of the change. 

 

She kept walking, there were benches a little further on. Some night air would do her good.

 

She was getting rambally. 

 

Was that?

 

“Kagura?”, it slipped out unbidden. It definitely was the other girl.

 

“Gisela”, she said, almost even. 

 

“What are you doing up?”

 

“What are you”, came the sharp retort.

 

_ Point.  _ “Bad dream”. It came out sharper than Gisela meant. “Your turn”, she said, quirking what she hoped was a wry smile.

 

Hopefully that was friendly, Erani and Cadra were her two closest friends and they had pretty much befriended her and-

 

The other girl was silent for a moment, her eyes considering. “We didn’t find anything important”.

 

Gisela knew what she was talking about, “I’m sorry. Do you have any other leads”.

 

She wasn’t good at comforting, but she could help if Kagura wanted her, if she thought Gisela could be useful. She could make things easier for Kagura, that would be something.

 

“Not really, I might ask the Council again when I return my report. I’m going to keep looking though. I’m not giving up on him. He wouldn’t leave me, he is my brother”.

 

“I know”. Simon was lucky to have such a determined sister, someone who would tear apart heaven and earth for him, Gisela was almost jealous. She pushed that emotion down, that wasn’t fair to either of them.  

 

“You’re not going to tell me to stop looking?”. There was definitely suspicion in Kagura’s tone.

 

“No”.   _ Why would I do that? It’s not like that would work or anything, besides, no one ever dies in Fairy Tail. He has got to be alive somewhere.  _

 

“Thanks”. They were quiet for a moment, sitting on the bench and staring at the stars. “Are you planning to get a permit”

 

“A what?”

 

“A permit, if you are planning to immigrate to Fiore do you have all your papers in line?” 

 

Gisela felt a rock drop into her chest, of all the things. Somehow in her head she had assumed she could just walk off the boat and start living. Visas and immigration drama were supposed to be of Before, one of the few tragedies that she was ready to leave behind, that she wanted desperately to fix, to stop.

 

She hadn’t even thought about how she would be into Fiore. She forced her breath to stay level, “I didn’t exactly plan to come to Fiore”, she tried to explain without actually saying why, “it was very spur of the moment. Is it possible to apply when I dock?”. 

 

Kagura thought for a moment, “You are a good cloud mage so I believe that will aid you. Fiore is known to welcome foreign mages quite easily and even if you are not going to join a guild I think you can work something out.”.  _ I hope that's true.  _

 

“Okay, do you think Anjay might know anything?”.  _ She has been sailing for so long, she has to know something about customs. Do they call it customs here? They have to call it something. I mean everything has a name and- _

 

Kagura interrupted Gisela’s rapidly spiraling thoughts. “As far as I know Anjay is sleeping off her last shift but we can ask them in the morning. We should be able to work some type of plan out though, I don’t want to rely on luck”.

 

There was something in the way that Kagura spat the word luck that made Gisela want to pay attention, or at least made the part of her that wasn’t hyperventilating in the corner of her mind pay attention.

 

She couldn’t go back to Caelum and she didn’t want to be a sailor and they was people had looked at her meant she didn’t want to go to Minstel. The war was too close, they were to close. She didn't want that.

 

“Let’s, let's talk in the morning”, Gisela said, keeping her voice steady through sheer force of will and nothing else. “Night”

 

She wasn’t sure she had anything else left in her. She was tense and groundless, like watching her body through a glass pane. 

 

_ Move your legs, now duck around the side. Careful not to trip on the stairs, that would wake people up. Down, down down. Steady. _

 

It was easier when the world went cold and out of focus, or more in focus, all she had to do was walk. 

 

_ Lie down.  _

 

Gisela did, trying to meditate, trying to breathe. Even so, sleep was a long time in coming. 

 

There was no morning light in the windowless cabin, nonetheless Gisela was up with the dawn, hearing the calls of the sailors on deck. 

 

The port had been sighted.

 

_ I need more time.  _

 

Making it back onto the deck Gisela dashed to their table, tapping her feet impatiently as she waited for Anjay and Kagura. They had to come, Kagura said they would help her. 

 

Gisela knew in her head that it couldn’t have been that long, the suns position had only changed minutely. Even so it felt like hours before they arrived talking quietly to each other.

 

Gisela forced her hands in uncleached, ignoring the crest mark indentations in the palms of ehr hands.

 

She had to focus.

 

“Any ideas”, she said abitly, as soon as they had sat down. 

 

“Calm down first of all, I can see your tension from here”, Anjay said in what Gisela was sure was supposed to be a soothing voice. It was a pity that Gisela didn’t have time to be soothed. 

 

“I’ll try”, Gisela offered back. She needed to get somewhere, needed to figure out what to do, what the requirements were. _ Why don’t I ever plan ahead? The temple and now this. I need to pay more attention and focus and not forget everything and go back into- _

 

“You will be fine, chances are that as a mage you will be allowed in easily. It might be hard for you to find work without joining one of the guilds or the Magic Council itself but your style is adaptable enough that if that is how you want to go you will be fine”

 

“Or if you travel with me, I am pretty sure that we will be able to find odd jobs. As a citizen of Fiore I can vouch for you as well”, Kagura offered, the logic in their explanations far more soothing than any platitude.

 

“So I should be able to stay”. Gisela said, trying to be clear. 

 

“Yes. You are unlikely to receive any support monetary or otherwise from the Council or Fiore unless you agree to work with the Council but you should be able to get your papers, and unless you break any major laws, you are unlikely to be turned back”.

 

“Okay”,  _ it will be okay, it will be okay.  _ “Are there any laws pertaining to the use of magic in public spaces?”. Gisela did not want to be caught off guard by anything else, “also, if I had money from Caelum will it be possible to get it charged Fiore”. 

 

“Magic is a tool just like any other, as long as you do not break the pre existing laws you will be fine”, Kagura explained patiently.  

 

Anjay answered the other half of Gisela’s question. “Money changing should be easy to do at the port, you do have money. Correct?”.

 

Gisela thought back, trying to remember if there was any money in her bags. Her ticket had been prepaid by the temple and she hadn’t needed money on the boat. Everything had just been so hazy. Thinking back was like walking into quicksand, if she lingered to long that she would get stuck in the mire. 

 

Gisela didn’t want that. Even if she kind of did, she knew where that road lead. 

 

“Okay then”, Anjay said, cutting through Gisela’s rambling thoughts. “The first thing you should do after breakfast is look through your stuff, make sure that you have money and take stock of whatever else you have. Once you have done that then we can figure out plans for you two. Do you want help looking through your bag”. 

 

Gisela inhaled, savoring the sea warmth as she attempted to stabilize herself. She could look through her stuff, not just grab the same three outfits. She could do that, she needed to know what she had anyways.  _ Opps.  _ They were still waiting for an answer. “I do it alone”, Gisela assured them. A distant part of her felt embarrassed that they even needed to ask. Was she really that helpless looking?  _ It doesn’t matter, I can do it. _

 

The conversation died with that, they sat in silence for a little while, no one quite sure what to say.  _ It wasn’t a bad silence,  _ Gisela mused as she watched the waves,  _ it’s tense but not awkward. I’ll take what I can get. _

 

She was trying to get better at that. 

Breakfast was fine when it came, the universal gruel of people long enough traveling anywhere. Gisela found herself thinking back to the fresh foods of the temple. She pulled her mind back, she couldn’t think about that. 

 

To soon the food was gone. 

 

She got up, only managing to say, “excuse me” when she was already at the corner. 

 

Her suitcase was practical, something she was glad off. It was like the back packs of before, save for the fact it was made of leather sewn together and reinforced, not fabric. It had been made to last.

 

Carefully she took out her chitions, gently putting them down on the deck beside her. A wave of homesickness over took her, they still smelled like the temple. At least, the ones that didn’t smell like the sea. 

 

There was no grey trim on the last three, Gisela pushed that thought down as well. There was no point thinking about that now.

 

There was a second pair of sandals as well, some part of her wondered if she would need to get new shoes, sandals were good for Caelum but as far as Gisela knew Fiore had much more variable weather and if she was hiking, or fighting and even more distant part of her wondered,  then she would need more support. Some people could fight in sandals, Gisela had never been one of them.

 

_ Never wear anything you can’t run in,  _ she repeated to herself. It was an old maxim but it had served her well.  She needed to succeed. 

 

She would figure something out. 

 

_ There!  _ At the bottom of her bag was a pouch like the ones at the temple.

 

She opened it carefully.

 

_ Jack pot. _

 

Gisela didn’t dare spill out the coins to count them, with the rocking of the boat there would be to much of a risk of losing the money. Gisela couldn’t afford that. Still, from the heft of the bag Gisela could tell that while it wasn’t a fortune she wasn’t penniless either.

 

_ As long as I am careful I should be able to make this work until I can figure out a new way to make money. _

 

The relief made her feel boneless for a moment, it was something going right.

 

Gisela kept looking, careful hands poking in the one small pocket, shifting the coins around.

 

Nothing.

 

No note.

 

She found her papers, proof that she existed in Caelum. Nothing else.

 

She kept looking, not quite sure what she was looking for as she examined the two compartments, flipped through her papers, fingered through the coins in the purse. 

 

_ I’m hurt.  _ It was a realization, not a pleasant one.

 

_ What did you think would happen, Chiosca said that you were out of the family. It's your fault anyways, maybe if you had tried harder, been better than someone might have stuck by you.  _

 

It was a painful pill to swallow. 

 

_ If I had been better,  _ but she hadn't been. She had been bitter and broken and raw and refused to acknowledge them as family, even as she lived with them.

 

Chiosca wasn’t her mother, Gisela knew that. Chisoca didn’t quote shakespeare or teach her how to bake.

 

Chisoca didn’t buy her books and teach her to read.

 

But it wasn’t just Chiosca.

 

She had been getting along better with her siblings. They had actually been talking when Gisela visited. 

 

There was no note from the temple either. 

 

That hurt worse. 

 

_ Cadra didn’t know. It was so fast and she was of at the library,  _ Gisela tried to reassure herself.  _ If she had known I was going then she would have written something, any of them would.  _ It didn’t help.

 

Since Gisela had gotten her magic she had always felt almost warm, mobile. Now she was going numb, pins and needles and heartbreak.

 

She had trusted the temple, it had been her home. It had been somewhere that she could learn, could explore and talk and laugh and grow without expectations to deny. That was until she had failed it.  _ If only I had done better. If only I was better. _

 

Her gaze was going itchy, out of focus. She couldn’t follow the grain of the wood on the opposite wall. Funny, there was water on her face, why was there water on her face?

 

Gisela swiped up with a hand, she was crying.  Of course she was. There was laughter, she was laughing too. 

_ I spent so long pretending I didn’t care, that nobody mattered. That I didn’t want family or friends, that I was better, different. _

 

_ It wasn’t true, was it? _

 

Nobody answered her question. It was just Gisela, alone in her bunk, laughing as she cried. It had to be funny, it had to be.

 

If it wasn’t funny than what would it be?

 

_ But it was and if it was that it would be because it will and because it will it would be and _ -

 

“Land hoe”. 

 

The shout made Gisela jump, sharp pain hitting as she bumped her head on one the she sides of her bunk. 

 

They must be getting pretty close.

 

Fiercely Gisela wiped at her eyes again.  _ Anjay and Kagura are waiting for me, I don’t want to disappoint them. _

 

She pushed herself off the floor, glad that her head only hurt slightly.  _ Good thing I’m an old hand at headaches right?  _ She asked herself. Thinking about that was good, it was something that she could focus on. 

 

She swung her bag onto her shoulders, everything carefully repacked, checking the room one more time. 

 

There was nothing else she needed.  _ Time to go.  _

 

Back on deck everyone who wasn’t doing anything was at the prow, watching as the land approached. 

 

Gisela felt a spike of anticipation through her nerves.  _ That's Fiore.  _ It didn’t look like much as she shaded her eyes with her hand to get a better look, just a line on the horizon. Larger than the dot it had been last night through, could she see a building if she focused?

 

_ I’m almost there. _

 

“Gisela”. 

 

She swung around at her name, seeing Kagura and Anjay.  

 

“Hey”. They were both waiting for something, right. “I have some coins and my papers”. It was easy to say it like that, to keep it clear. 

 

She could see the tension in Anjay’s face relax, “that's great. When we dock make sure you talk to the port authorities, Hargeon is a port city so there should be a good presne of Magic Council mages.”

 

“I’ll vouch for you”, Kagura offered as Anjay stopped speaking.

 

“You will?”. 

 

“I will. You helped me with the Tower and have offered to travel with me. It is only fair that I help you as well”.

 

“Thank you”.

 

There was quiet after that, Anjay waved as she went back to work, pulling sails and tying things up. 

 

Soon the buildings were close enough that Gisela could make out colors, could see the ships in the port. 

 

She was in Fiore. Almost.

 


	19. Chapter 19

_ Everything is so new!  _ That was Gisela’s first thought as they sailed into port.

 

The Port of Hargeon was beautiful, the day was bright and clear and as they docked Gisela could see the water sparkling in the port, something that hadn’t been common in Caelum. 

 

What was more unusual than that was how new everything looked. Scanning Gisela saw little of the wear and tear that she was used to, scattered around there were scaffolds with people hammering away industriously. New coats of paints on the store fronts and just a general lack of weathering all around. 

 

This was way more than normal construction, Gisela knew that much.

 

She made a note to ask about it later. 

 

Gisela had other things to worry about now. 

 

“Is this where we say goodbye?”, Gisela asked as the boat was being moored. 

 

“Yeah, you and Kagura will be perfectly happy on land. Me, I think I’ll stick to the sea. I wish both of you kids the best of luck”. 

 

“No way we could convince you to come?”. Gisela wouldn’t beg, she never did. Even this was pushing it.

 

“Nah, my contract is still for the rest of this year and after that I think I want to stay on. If you guys are ever in port again see if I’m there. I’d love to catch up”, Anjay said easily.

 

“We will”. It was almost a promise. 

 

Then things got awkward. They had already said their goodbyes and made their agreements. 

 

There was nothing else to say, Gisela knew that. Even so it was hard not to try and grasp for something to say, something to break the silence. 

 

Thankfully Kagura showed up, pack on her back similar to Gisela even if the material wasn’t leather. It was also smaller, vaguely Gisela found herself wondering how Kagura could fit everything she needed in that bag.  

 

That was something she could ask about!

 

“What’s that made of”, she asked, gesturing to the sack.

 

“Canvas, like the sails”.  _ Come on, don’t leave me in awkward silence, please. _

 

“Does it hold up to wear and tear wel?”. Gisela’s bag would hold for now, it seemed to be in good condition so far but plans were good. Gisela liked plans. And conversation, that was nice too.

 

“It’s enchanted, things that were once living and more sentient can be harder to enchant, something about the residual magic in them, so canvas works well. I can store a lot more in this than it look like”.

 

“Cool”. 

 

It seemed like forever before the mooring lines were secure. It was something to focus on, that and just how unworn the docks were,  _ how recently was this place built? I thought Hargeon was an old port town. Not a new one.  _

 

She slapped herself mentally,  _ focus Gisela, focus. _

 

“So the Magic Council branch is in the shop district?”, Gisela clarified.

 

“Yeah, I’ve only been there once or twice, we had some lacrima that the company was shipping and we needed it to be check in, but it's not too hard to find. It has that weird cross thingy on it. You should probably check in with the port authorities too through, I’m not an expert on this stuff after all”, Anjay added with a self depreciating grin.   

 

“Thanks for your help anyways, I really appreciate it”. Gisela could see people unloading, it was time to go. 

 

_ Now or never.  _  Before she could lose her never she darted in, hugging Anjay. The other person was warmed and they smelled like the sea. It was nice. 

 

Gisela felt arms tentatively come around her and rest on her back. It was nice. 

 

She detached pretty quickly through, wondering if the blush on her face was as obvious as Gisela suspected it was. 

 

_ Looks like Kagura is getting a hug too, my blush probably isn’t as bad as hers.  _ The other girl’s checks were bright pink.  _ Looks like somebody's not used to being hugged.  _

 

That was actually kind of sad. Too bad Gisela didn’t have the courage to try. 

 

Too soon they were off the boat, standing on the docks with only there packs in hand. 

 

“I was just thinking…”, Gisela trailed off, it was a silly thought. 

 

“Thinking?”. 

 

“If this was a story Anjay would already be on their way out. We’d watch their boat sail away and talk about them, it would also be sunset”. It was a fun thought, Gisela had always liked books before and it was still something she carried with her, even if she didn’t read as much as she used too.

 

“Maybe. It’s not a story through”, Kagura said flatly, “let's go talk to the port authority and see about making sure you can stay”.

 

After that they left, things needed to be done after all. Gisela glanced over her shoulder to see Anjay clambering up the rigging. The other person didn’t seem to see her through, intent as they were on their task, whatever it was. 

  
  


At the end of the docks was a low building, the bottom levels looked done even as the sound hammering filled the air- work being done on the upper levels. 

 

Just as they approached a beam was set in place by a contraption, there was a moment of silence where all Gisela could hear were the waves.

 

Then it was back to hammering again.

 

Kagura split off, as someone from Fiore she didn’t need to check in the same way. “I’ll come back here with some supplies, we can go to the Rune Knights together”. With that she was off, leaving Gisela to face the people. 

 

She could do this. 

 

Totally. 

 

_ Something definitely happened here. Something with magic.  _ Why did she have the feeling that she was forgetting something? 

 

That she should know what had happened.

 

The feeling was quickly annoying her. She shut it in a different part of her brain, she had stuff she needed to do.

 

It was surprisingly easy to talk to the Dockmaster about Gisela’s paper work given just how much Gisela had worried about it. The man at the desk did give her a look when she mentioned magic through, Gisela took note off that. 

 

She had seen that kind of look before. It never boded well.

 

Even so the man gave her directions, pointing her down the hall.  _ I’m glad he was free, I hope Kagura doesn't have to wait to long for me.  _

 

The Dockmaster was an older man with faded green hair and a steady hand. Key word a, as in one, steady hand. 

 

He was one armed but it didn’t seem to stop him through as he shoke Gisela’s hand.

 

His office was nice, far more open than Gisela would have expected. She especially appreciated the cool breeze that was coming in from the sea. That was nice. 

 

Gisela had offered her wrist before taking his hand.  _ Culture,  _ she reminded herself as she adjusted her positioning.

 

He did know his stuff as well. He carefully looked over Gisela’s papers, using some sort of crystal, maybe checking for forgeries? 

 

Gisela bit her tongue, part of her wondered if the crystal was enchanted.  _ Not the time Gisela, you don’t want to mess this up. _

 

He didn’t believe her about her magic at first but a quick summoning of her clouds set him straight. Part of Gisela felt bad about startling him but it wasn’t like she wanted to lie about having magic.

 

It wasn’t her fault he didn’t believe her at first.

 

“So you’re a mage too, from Caelum as well. Explains why a girl like you is traveling with no one else. Paper work shouldn’t be too hard but you will have to go to a doctor, make sure you aren't carrying any diseases. Being a mage won’t spare you from that. After that I’d go to the Rune Knights here and make sure they register you, that’ll save you trouble down the line”. 

 

After explaining a little more about the process he recommend she go to the port doctor. 

 

“We have one on call because you never know when a ship comes in injured or if someone like you shows up. Good to have plans for that you know”.

 

“I do and thank you for your help, I really appreciate it”.

 

“It’s what I’m here for”, he said easily, a friendly smile on his face. 

 

Gisela couldn’t help it, “how did you lose your arm?”. The second it was out of her mouth she could feel herself reddining. 

 

Lucky he just laughed, “oh this old thing”, he said, raising his stump, “a sea monster bit it off when I wrestled with it. He got my arm but I reckon I got the better half of the deal. Sea monster soup is a lovely treat after all. Besides, I got my arm back in the end, just in a slightly different form”. He grinned crookedly, light dancing in his eyes. 

 

Gisela remembered the monster rising up, about to descend on her siblings. It's teeth shone in her memory, serrated for a better grip as they-

 

She looked back at his face. Same grin.

 

Gisela couldn’t tell if he was lying or not.  

 

_ I was rather rude for asking,  _ she scolded herself.  _ It doesn’t really matter, get back on what actually matters.  _ “Will I be able to see the doctor soon? You said that there was one on call at the docks and I do not want to be in your way any longer than I have to be”.

 

“Sure, come with me and we can see if she is free, I should warn ya, even for a mage getting work can be hard if you’re not part of a guild from what I’ve heard and even if it is easy to get into Fiore, after the medical exam you should be alright, not everybody likes foreigners. You might want to look into a change of clothes, bedsheets like those are a little bit out of style”. 

 

“My chition?”. Gisela thought back to the quick glance she had had of the people. He was right, they certainly weren’t wearing chitions. “Thank you for your advice”. He was right, Gisela did stand out.

 

“Just letting ya know.” he said, patting Gisela on her shoulder. She tried to hold back her flinch, hopefully it wasn’t too obvious. “Anyways, the doc is in this building, just head back to the front desk and tell them I sent you over”.

 

Something hit her.

 

“And costs?”. Gisela asked uneasily, she had some money but doctors were expensive, she remembered that well enough.  

 

“This check up will be covered although you may have to pay for any treatment. It's to our benefit to stop the plagues from coming in”.

 

Sure as he said the trip was quick and the doctor, a no nonsense women with the last name Serpentwind, was brisk as she took Gisela’s hight, weight, ages and quizzed her on her medical history, rifling through Gisela’s papers to see what past healers had written.

 

Then it was time to get blood drawn. 

 

Gisela looked away, trying to focus on the seeing chart, that was what it was, even if she had to squint to make out which of the pictographics of Common Fioran the characters were, in an attempt to distract herself from the needle going into her flesh. 

 

It wasn’t working. She could see the red going up the tube in the corner of her eye.  

 

She needed a better distraction. 

 

“So how long will these tests take?”. It was as practical a question as any.

 

“Not too long”, the doctor said as she worked, “much old healing magic was lost in the chaos but diagnostic magics still exist and make my job much easier. Once I get enough blood I put it in my tester, it gets a good read”. 

 

“You’re a mage?”. Gisela asked, excited. Even though she lived, had lived in a temple of magic meeting other mages was still awesome. 

 

Especially ones whose magic she hadn’t seen before. The temple had had doctors but they didn’t have anything like the stones. Part of Gisela wondered why that was, what was it that changed how magic was used in different places. 

 

The doctor was answering her question.  _ Pat attention Gisela!  _ She yelled at herself.  _ You asked the question! _

“-Mainly an enchanter. I know how to up keep my devices and make potions”. She stopped talking to remove the tube from Gisela’s arm. Such a loss. Gisela could see the small red dot from the little blood still coming. Lovely.  “But I don’t practice magic in a combative way and I work for the docks rather than a Guild”. 

 

“You get asked that a lot? Are there any Guilds here?”, Gisela inquired, referring to the part about a Guild.  _ The manga never said much about Guild vs Non Guild mages. I wonder what it means for them… _

 

“You’d be surprised. Hargeon is actually one of the few port cities not to have a Guild. We run our selves mainly on fishing and shipping here without much magic”. Gisela could hear the pride in the doctor’s voice even with her back turned. 

 

“Do you want a Guild?”. 

 

“We used to, than a little back we had these two mages absolute wreck havoc on the port. They got off because they were mages and Guild mages and it didn’t matter the property damages they caused, they still got off. After that the port hasn’t really wanted any more mages. We do well enough without them and their chaos. Not to mention how hard it is to hold any of them accountable for damages”. 

 

_ Idiots.  _ Gisela felt a strong sense of dislike for the two mages build, didn’t they know it was hard enough for magic users already? “Is that why everything looks so new here?”.

 

“Around the port yes, the fire and the miniature tsunami that one of the mages summoned caused considerable damage”

 

“Oh”. Then it hit Gisela, she knew who the doctor was talking about, “were the mages members of Fairy Tail?”

 

“You saw the article. I know there is a huge outcry about how tragic it is that so many of them have gone missing. Honestly I can only say good riddance, they were a bad example of what mages could get away with and-”. 

 

In the middle of her talking there was a chime as the stones lit up, glowing, with a magic circle spinning into being around them. 

 

Something had definitely happened.

 

Gisela could see her blood glowing in the center.  _ Note to self, make sure blood gets destroyed afterwords. And do more research on blood curses, just in case.  _

 

After about a minute of watching the doctor poke at Gisela’s blood the suspense got to be to much for her, “how do I look, am I contagious”. She wasn’t sure if it was a joke or not. 

 

Luckily the comment didn’t seem to annoy the doctor. That was something.“You look clear of the common parasites and contagions on these tests. I looked at your records and you seemed fine there, so I will sign off on these. Please do go to a doctor or healer if you notice any problems”.

 

Gisela had to hold back a small laugh at the last line. It just seemed so routine. She sobered, “Thank you for your time Doctor.”.

 

After that it was just a matter of getting directions to the Rune Knights headquarters. From what she understood registering her magic wasn’t something she had to do but if a crime was committed or she wanted to get a job it would be much easier.

 

Gisela also debated about asking where the clothing or shop district was, in the end she decided not too. Not only would buying a whole new wardrobe be expensive, Gisela just wasn’t sure she wanted to stop wearing her chitions. Sure they could get in the way, got dirty way to easily and could be a general nuisance. They were also hers. 

 

One of the only things that were.

 

After making sure that her blood was disposed off, as best she could tell, Gisela headed back out.

 

She got some of her money changed at the desk, Fiore was more fond of paper bills then Caelum however, and Gisela found herself not wanting to turn all of her funds into fragile paper. 

 

With any luck she could find money changers at other port cities.

 

_ Two places down, one too go.  _ The thought was a good one, it added a bounce to her step. 

 

Kagura was waiting outside, leaning against the wall as she looked at a pamphlet.

 

“What that?”

 

“Just reading the news, nothing interesting?”

 

Gisela couldn’t help it, “anything on Fairy Tail?”

 

“It appears that they are still missing, their Guild is looking rather hard for them.”

 

“Oh, can I looked at that when you are done?”. Gisela hadn’t really read the news in Caelum, before the temple she hadn’t cared much and at the temple she had had gossip. 

 

“Sure. I found out where the Rune Knights are located if you want to go there now. We can get you registered and then be of”.

 

“Do you know where we should go next?”. 

 

“While you were testing I figured I would take care of my report to the Council, I might be able to pick up a lead there. Otherwise it is just traveling and asking questions. I understand if you do not want to come with me”

 

“That's fine”, Gisela hurried to reassure Kagura, “I want to help you. I just like having plans”. 

 

Talking as they walked Gisela became aware of stares as they left the port district. It wasn’t everyone, as a port Gisela probably wasn’t the first person they had seen in a chiton, but it was drawing attention. The stares made the back of her next prickle. 

 

The store fronts were bright and colorful. It was easy to see that the disaster which had hit the most coastal buildings had been contained before it had made it closer to the center of the city. 

 

Here there was more weathering.

 

Somehow, thanks to gratuitous use of maps most likely, they managed not to get lost.

 

There it was. 

 

Gisela’s final goal.

 

It was surprisingly small, the only thing that helped it stand out from the shops on either side was the green and blue color scheme. 

 

The the cross thingy.

 

_ Anjay was right, it totally is a cross thingy.  _

 

There was nowhere to go but through.

  
  
  
  
  
  



	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I made it to twenty chapters with one canon character. Appreciate that. Next chapter has at least two canon characters showing up, anyone want to guess them? There is a (very small) mention of human trafficking in this chapter and Charm magic but nothing worse than the first chapter of Fairy Tail

 

Walking into the small office front room Gisela saw one man, asleep at a desk. He looked young, maybe in his twenties.

 

There was nobody else around, even through the building did look large enough that other people should be there. 

 

_ Are there more in the back or something? Hargeon is a port town, I bet they need as many people as they can get. Maybe they are all working or something...  _ Gisela remembered how much she had heard about smugglers before the Temple, she doubted that it would be any different here. 

 

She stood there, hesitant, wondering if he was going to notice her or not. Kagura stood quietly behind her at first, a comforting presence but as the clock passed the seven minute mark she began to get antsy. 

 

“You should go up and see”, she whispered forcefully. 

 

“I don’t want to disturb him”, Gisela muttered back.

 

“Just go”, Kagura told Gisela, giving her a slight push.

 

Gisela stumbled for a moment at the unexpected pressure, thankfully catching herself before she tripped.

 

She still made a thunking noise.

 

The guy shot awake, chair shooting back as he attempted to get up.  _ Ouch.  _ The chair had crashed against the wall and he had fallen out, landing ungainly on the floor. 

 

_ That couldn’t have been pleasant…  _ Gisela started forward to offer help when he raised his arms in a warding gesture.

 

“Who are you guys”, he asked harshly as he forced himself back up, sitting back at his desk as if nothing had happened.

 

_ Nowhere to go but though,  _ she reminded herself. “I’m Gisela and I would like to register my magic”.

 

“You”. He said, raising one eyebrow.  _ Was that disbelief I heard? I hope not. He is probably just tired. _

 

“Yes, I have cloud magic and was told by the port authorities that since I was entering Fiore it would be good to register as a mage before anything happens”. 

 

“And you have magic and are an actual mage, not just a color changing charm or something like that because I can tell you are new to Fiore and magic like that might count elsewhere but here we have standards”

 

_ What do I say to that?  _ Gisela flondered, unsure of what he was trying to say. She didn’t want to be rude. She felt her nails dig into her palms as he opened his mouth again. “Would you like to see?”. That was polite, wasn’t it?

 

“Whatever”, he said with a toss of his head, it was impressive, even through his hair was in a bun it had motion, when he got up. “Lets go try your magic out on the MPF, that's magic power finder if you haven't heard about it, we Rune Knights use them in order to judge how powerful someones magic is. Explaining how it works is kind of complicated so I won’t bother trying but the simple version is it rates how many ethernanos you expend. Ethernanons are the particles of magic but I assume that even you know that”, he explained. 

 

_ I hope I haven't messed something up, he seems really annoyed right now… _

 

Following behind him, and Kagura was too, they made their way through the building to a courtyard in the back. 

 

Gisela glanced at the two people she could see sparing with staves, the light dancing off them was impressive.

 

She looked over at Kagura.

 

The other girl did not seem to be impressed. 

 

Gisela opened her mouth to ask what she thought about them when, “hurry up, we don’t have all day”, made her wince.

 

She couldn’t get distracted. Moving on from the sparing they kept going for a little until they got to a wide open court. 

 

Floating in the middle was a black container with a blue crystal. He swipe at something and it started to float. 

 

“Right, let's get this over with”, moving out of the court he went to stand on one of the side lines, “hit this with your most powerful attack, as I mentioned earlier it will see how strong you are. If you can get above one hundred than you will qualify as a mage. If this style of testing does not work than you may go to a different testing location. We are not responsible for any injuries sustained. Understand”

 

“I do”.  _ That was literally a disclaimer. Welp.  _

 

Gisela stared at the MPF steadily, she could do this. Maybe she wasn’t the most powerful, gifted mage but she wasn’t the weakest either. She wouldn’t mess this up. She couldn’t afford too. 

 

_ Thoughts like that are unproductive.  _ She reminded herself.

 

She breathed. Around her she felt her clouds take shape, a circle of fluff, far firmer than it looked.

 

“Cloud burst”, she commanded, forcing the clouds at the MPF, concentrating her power. Calling out the name felt right, this was an attack after all.

 

Okay maybe she just felt like being dramatic. It was a one time thing, really.

 

She waited with bated breath for her clouds to fade.

 

441.

 

Wait...what exactly did that mean?

 

Gisela glanced over at her tester, trying to see what the man thought. He had been rather confused when she had come in, asking to register as a Mage. 

 

Gisela had the feeling that not many people were mages around here. Maybe that was why he had been so rude when she had told him she wanted to register? 

 

She had just woken him up as well...

 

His face was frozen, eyes wide with shock.

 

Gisela wished she had a camera. She didn’t see expressions like that often. Had she messed up that badly?

 

“Is that an acceptable score?”, she asked outworld calm. Hopefully his face indicated that it was.  _ I’m pretty sure that I did well but magic can be so fussy and I just don’t know.  _

 

_ I don’t know that standards and I don’t know the requirements and I- _

 

Wow he was stuttering. Was his eye twitching too?

 

“Are you alright”, Gisela asked hesitantly.

 

She watched him take a deep breath, that was a good idea, Gisela always took deep breaths when she needed to relax. 

 

“I’m fine”, he said woodenly. “That score is acceptable, if you would come along with me we will get you registered”.

 

They were about to walk back in when a taller man with obviously different atterie approached. 

 

“Sir”, Gisela’s tester said sharply saluting the other man. 

 

_ Should I salute too? I don’t want to be rude.  _

 

“Eric, I see you left you post at the door. This is the new mage than?”, he said. Gisela felt her posture straighten under his scrutiny, somehow she knew she didn’t want to disappoint him.

 

“Yes, I am Gisela”, she hesitated for a second, yes the name Raimu was on her papers but she didn’t want to use it, “and I am from Caelum and registering as a mage here”

 

“Right, have you fought at all?”, he said briskly.

 

Gisela remembered the sea serpent bearing down on her siblings, the sparring at the temple and on the boat. Kagura’s careful teaching.   

 

“A little, why?”

 

“Back up”, he said, “if you come inside than I will explain, Eric”, he switched his attention to Gisela’s tester, “return to your position”. 

 

“Yes Sir”, Eric said sharply, saluting the other man, whose name Gisela really needed to find out, before heading back inside. 

 

Gisela felt a slight shiver. That was not a peaceful idea.  _ I need to make a good impression,  _ she reminded herself.  _ Ask his name.  _ “Sir”, she said quietly hazzerding the correct method of address, “may I ask your name and position here. I do not mean to offend but I am new here and still learning faces”.

 

He paused for a moment. Gisela couldn’t say what exactly gave her the idea but he seemed faintly, embarrassed. “I am Shasha Ronning and I am the commander of the Rune Knights at Hargeon. It is nice to meet you Gisela”, he looked past Gisela, “and you too, may I ask your name?”

 

_ That explains the whole commanding presence thing. He is a commander.  _ Gisela was really glad she hadn’t been rude or anything.  _ Still, why does he want to talk to me? He mentioned fighting? What do the Rune Knights need two more mages for. Than again, I don’t really remember them ever being of any use in the manga… _

 

Kagura was talking, Gisela needed to pay attention. 

“Kagura, Kagura Mikazuchi. I too am a mage. However, I also use the art of the blade”. She said formally. 

 

_ Wow, Kagura really sounds like ice. I’m glad I had Anjay around at first.  _ She forced herself to ignore the pang of longing thinking of Anjay had sent through her. She didn’t have time for that. 

 

Gisela felt the urge to move out of the way. They two were staring each other down. It was intense.

 

She bit the inside of her mouth slightly, using the steady pressure to ground her.  

 

He was the first one to blink. Just like that the tension relaxed. “I have read about you in communications from the magic council. I believe you were the one that they sent to look at the Tower?”.

 

“Yes. I have submitted that report” 

 

“If that is the case than I request that you join me and your companion, I assume that she was with you at the tower?”

 

“That was where we met”, Kagura said flatly before striding up to match pace with the Commander.

 

“Perfect. Follow me than”.

 

Kagura started walking. Gisela hesitated for a second, unsure. 

 

Kagura did not look back,

 

_ Nothing else for it.  _ Gisela matched her pace with the other two, staying a few steps behind them as they walked.

 

There was no conversation. Gisela wanted to ask questions but the tension slowly filling the air gave her the feeling that asking them yet would be a bad idea. 

 

She needed these people’s respect, she couldn’t afford to alienate them. 

 

They entered the building through a different door than the one that they had come through. The Commander’s magic flaring slighting to unlock something. 

 

Finally the walk to the room was over. 

 

Gisela couldn’t help but glance at his office, it was a nice size. No windows she noticed distantly, but it had room from the desk in the corner that was piled high with paperwork and the table in the middle of the room.

 

It looked like there were buildings on the floor plan. 

 

_ There is definitely something being planned… what does that mean for us? _

 

Kagura seemed much more relaxed, part of Gisela was distantly envious of the other girl’s composure.

 

The Commander riffed around in his deck from a moment, coming out with two crystals. 

 

Kagura seemed annoyed when he handed her one, her other hand clenched slightly. Nonetheless she took hold of the crystal.

 

Gisela took her hesitant, turning up upside down as she inspected it. It looked pretty normal except from the little runes carved in it. She brought it up to her face, trying to read the inscription. 

 

It didn’t look like any language she recognize, neither script of Fiore or of Caelum. 

 

She itched to send her magic into the crystal, to see how it would react. She felt her magic, ready to go at the slightest bit of her will, it would be so easy.

 

It would be so interesting. 

 

She felt a prickle on the back of her next.

 

Both of them were stareing at her. 

 

Gisela felt her checkes reden. “Sorry”, she whispered. She didn’t mean to zone out like that.

 

“Right. Neither of you have anything to do with the smuggling of Charmed objects in this port. Correct.”

  
  


Gisela felt her heart drop, she had just got here and now this?  _ Was this why he wanted to see us, did I trust the wrong person, what did I do wrong.   _ Gisela felt the panic building in her chest, the pressure a real force about to well up. 

 

“I do not have anything to do with the smuggling of Charmed objects.” Kagura answered. The rock glowed green.

 

They both looked at her. “I have nothing to do with the smuggling of charmed objects”. Her rock glowed green, the runes lighting up and casting a faint light on her hands. It was pretty. 

 

The Commander grinned, it made his face appear far more hospitable, “that's good to see. I didn’t want to have to  arrest you instead of asking for assistance” 

 

He paused for a moment, waiting for something, “that was a joke”. 

 

Gisela wasn’t laughing.

 

“You said you wanted our assistance?”.  _ Thank you Kagura, get the conversation back on topic. You are the best. _

 

It was so nice not to have to talk to people.

 

“Yes. As I just mentioned recently Hargeon has been having trouble with the smuggling of objects with the Charm spell on it. To recap what Charm is this spell, or more actually category of spells, creates feelings of artificial admiration and love when used. It breaks when the user becomes aware that these feeling are not real It is one of the few remaining emotional manipulation magics and was actually quite obscure until a few years ago when there was a whole scandal in the upper class of Bosco about a noble who Charmed another noble into marriage before the Charm came to light. Of course as soon as that happened it was banned post haste but that once almost long forgotten magic came to light in a real way. After that many dark guilds and other less than legal groups worked to replicate the magic and-”

 

“This is all very interesting history but what does it have to do with us?”, Kagura asked, interpreting the info history lesson.

 

“Smuggling”, he said flatly, “in recent months there has been a huge uptick in Charmed items coming through this port. A few months ago we discovered a trafficker who used a ring with a very clever Charm spell to take his victims. Since then we have found two other groups doing the same. One of my people on the port has gotten word of a large shipment coming into Fiore tonight and I am requesting that you work with us on the bust”. 

 

“Why do you want us? We might be mages but we are not Rune Knights”. Gisela clenched her fists in an effort to stop them from going to her mouth. It was a fair question.

“Extra force. The other thing we found out was that the remnants of a old Dark Guild, Eisenwald, have merged with the Sirens Tongues, that is the guild that is running this. After they were broken out of a water convoy. Normally I would say my Knights are strong enough but a few months ago-”

 

“Fairy Tail came to the port?”.  _ That one was all Kagura. Fairy Tail really was well known.  _ Gisela was still glad she wasn’t the one who interrupted.

 

There was that hint of embarrassment again. Fairy Tail really had sewn a trail of chaos in their wake. “Yes. Although Eisenwald did fall to Fairy Tail reports say that it was not an easy fight. Because of our own”, here he paused for a moment, obviously looking for a word, “difficulties with Fairy Tail I have been on the lookout for aid, just in case”.

 

“What would be required of us if we did agree to help. From what I know of the Rune Knights your best strength is your team work as you cast your rune magics” 

 

“That is correct”, he said formally. “While most of us use the magic staves provided by the Council and the rune magic that you mentioned earlier there can still be problems when facing certain classes of criminals. If you agree to aid us then you would be kept in reserve.”.

 

“So we would be your safety net”.  _ Kagura, learn a little diplomacy.  _ It was an uncharitable thought, but even for Kagura that had been blunt. Even so, Gisela would probably never tell Kagura that, she was lucky that the other girl was willing to travel with her in the first place.

 

“Yes, that would be correct”. Gisela gave herself a moment to respect how unawkwardly he said that.  _ He couldn’t have been having an easy time since Fairy Tail came through.  _

 

“That makes sense. We would hang back and help out in case something goes even more wrong than normal”. Gisela had the feeling Murphy’s Law existed, in Earth or Earth Land.

 

“More wrong than normal, I like that term”, he said with a slight grin.

 

“What would we get from doing this?”, Kagura asked sharply, going back to business once again. 

 

Once again he seemed a little thrown off,  _ Kagura can be kind of intense sometimes,  _ Gisela thought sympathetically,  _ but she is good at what she does.  _ Besides, Gisela wasn’t keen on working for free either, through favor with the Rune Knights wouldn’t be a bad thing. Not all at. 

 

Really, that could be a reason to help all on it's own. 

 

“Well we will of course be willing to compensate, and-”

 

“What if one of us does get hurt”. Gisela was surprised by the clarity of her own voice, she hadn’t sound like that in awhile. 

 

“Then we would of course pay for health care. But from your score I can tell you are quite a strong mage and I believe your companion is as well. Like I said this is just insurance against a worst case scenario”.

 

“Is there something you are not telling us?”, Kagura pried. 

 

A few moments passed, the Commander seemed to be debating something.

 

“Well?”. Gisela could hear the raised eyebrow in Kagura’s voice. 

 

He sighed, apparently coming to a conclusion. “When dealing with Charm magic there is always the risks of leaks, a person doesn't quite realize how little they know about who they are talking too. I want to trust my people but still, I worry about leaks. I would like your assistance because I find it useful to have that extra change when leaks are such a possibility. Not to mention there are far more insidious ways of Charming people. Ways that are far harder to detect or may come up without notice. Does that make sense to you?”

 

“I understand. But if the bust is tomorrow then there is still time”

 

“Yes but until you show up at the site people will not know that I have hired you”. 

 

“Then what will they know?”. That was Kagura, nailing out a plan.

 

“That I was working on registry for Gisela, it is quite a reasonable explanation and something that we should be doing anyways.”

 

“Clever”. Gisela was impressed, she already knew that Kagura did not praise easily and it always- “one last thing, how do you know that we will not betray you?”.

 

“Two reasons. First,” here he actually put up one finger, “I know that you have done work with the Council before, and done it well. Second,” here he actually put up another finger, “I will be pairing you with one of my Rune Knights. He will be showing you around until it begins. Also the rocks”.

 

“Why don’t you use those for everyone than?”. It was awkward asking questions, still, if they knew truth from a lie with a stone than why bother with all this worry?

 

“Good point. I could request that all my men pass a truth test but not only would that cause mistrust, it could also be viewed as an insult to them. Something I do not wish to do on an idle suspension”.

 

“Makes sense.”

 

“May I hope to see you two tonight?”

 

“We would like to discuss it”.  

 

“Very well, I will step out for a moment”. He slipped through the other door, leaving them in what Gisela was pretty sure was the strategy room.

 

“I think we should do it”. Gisela admitted once the door was closed, “I know that you have worked with the Council and the Knights before but I haven't and this could be a good way for me to get some favor with them. Not to mention money, neither of us have exactly steady jobs”.

 

“I agree, after this is over we can ask to start the trail. Besides, it would be good to have some practice”. Gisela’s gaze couldn’t help but slide to the sword Kagura wore, she knew the other girl could use it.

 

“What do you think of the Commander, he seemed like he knew what he was doing?” 

 

“I think he is reasonably competent, he likes to explain things a little too much through.”

 

“True”, personally Gisela quite enjoyed learning everything she could, even when it was only tangentially related. They had to get back to business through. “Do you want to tell the Commander, you have more experience with contracts like this than me?”. Also Gisela wasn’t sure she wanted to be trusted with a contract for something like this, it was a fight a real fight and she knew her clouds were strong but she wasn’t. The Commander said she seemed good but what it-

 

“Good point. You should watch through, if you are going to be a traveling mage than it is not a bad skill to have”. Thank goodness for Kagura, interrupting her tirades of panic.

 

For all of Gisela’s anxiety actually signing the contract wasn’t a big deal. It was more of a disclaimer than anything else, even if it had rules for payment. The section on injury made her wince. 

 

Kagura haggled impressively, getting to a price that she thought reasonable. Gisela was staying out of that until she had a better gauge of what exactly things were valued at in Fiore. For now she was happy to defer to the other girl’s wisdom.

 

Filling out the forms were also a pain, but they were over relatively quickly.

 

It was dentifally a change in plans through, before they had just been planning to spend the night in an Inn. Now they were about to fight.

 

Gisela wasn’t sure how to think about that.

 

_ The Commander said that we probably wouldn’t have to fight,  _ she reminded herself. 

 

They had a little longer before the briefing. “Want to go meditate?”, Gisela offered, “they have to have a place for that”.

 

“That works. We should also have something to eat. No use fighting on an empty stomach, especially if the fight will use magic”

 

“Do you think we will have to fight?”

 

“It is good to be prepare”, Kagura said solidly. 

 

It would be good to center her thoughts, Gisela thought quietly, glad that they would do both. There was probably a saying about that somewhere. 

 

She was right. It was Eric again who was showing them around and he seemed no happier than earlier.

 

She tried to shut out his sharp behavior. It wasn’t pleasant.

 

Just a little down from the base was a park, it was a nice place even as it gave Gisela a sense of melancholy. 

 

He favorite place to meditate had been on top of the Temple where she could see from horizon to horizon.

 

_ Let it go,  _ she coached herself as she found a place to sit.

 

_ In… _

 

She stopped thinking about the fight.

 

_ Out… _

 

She stopped feeling the heat of the late afternoon.

 

_ In…  _

 

She stopped smelling the earth and the sea.

 

_ Out… _

 

She stopped hearing the rustling of the wind, carrying the sounds of business being done in the market.

 

_ In… _

 

She stopped.

 

All to soon it was time to go.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	21. Chapter 21

Coming out of a deep meditation always sucked. The magic around her was warm and comforting and when she drifted she could feel it. She could dance among the breezes coming in from the sea and taste the horizon.

 

When she was magic she was free.

 

Being Gisela was much harder.

 

Nonetheless she returned to herself as she felt Kagura doing the same, albeit on a much smaller scale. The other girl hadn’t used magic for nearly as long after all. Eric didn’t do even as much as Kagura.

 

If Gisela knew him she would have told him, told him to let go and reach out, to embrace the Quiet One’s gift. 

 

But she didn't. Instead she stayed quiet.

 

“It’s earlier than I thought. Do we have to leave so soon?”.

 

“We need to be back in time for the debrief, if you two insist on coming back”, Eric said. 

 

Gisela wanted to warn him that he was about to hit a tree if he stretched like that.

 

She was too late.

 

That looked like it hurt.

 

He glared at both of as if waiting for them to laugh. Obviously he didn’t know Kagura, not that Gisela knew her well either. 

 

As for Gisela,  _ I wouldn’t laugh at something like that,  _ she tried to show him, to stay inoffensive. She would have asked if he was okay but something in his face told her that would only make it worse.

 

She didn’t want to do that.

 

Kagura picked up the conversation as if nothing had happened, “we also need to get you better shoes, those sandals might have been okay in Caelum but they won’t hold up in a fight. Not to mention that when we leave you will need better hiking gear, those will get torn apart by the world”.

 

“Please don’t say we have to go shopping”, Eric said dramatically. The bump on his head made him look rather ridiculous.

 

“You are our guide,” Kagura said flatly, “or do you want to disobey your commander”. 

 

Gisela hadn’t realized faces could turn those colors, it was rather impressive. “If you don’t-”

 

“No. I will take you, shoes first right?”, he said as he regained his composure.

 

“Thank you”, Gisela said reflexively. She looked down at her sandals, leather and straw woven together carefully.

 

They had served her well.

 

“Come on”, the sharp voice had her moving. If he was being nice enough to guide them around than Gisela didn’t want to make it hard. Even if he was kind of rude. 

 

They headed out of the park and made good time on the walk to the market. Gisela found herself wanted to flinch from the sheer amount of noise. 

 

It had been like that in Caelum’s market too, Gisela found herself remembering. The noise and the vendor hawking their wares, really the only difference was the language.

 

Luckily they didn’t stay there long, instead they headed out of the live market and to the shops. 

 

“What shop are we going too?”. It was a neutral enough question.

 

“A supply store. We should be able to get adequate combat boots there. Through why you do not already have them I do not know”. 

 

She forced herself to stay calm. No need to give him an opening. “Thank you, may I ask the price range of this store?”

 

“Price range? What matters more is quality”.

 

_ What's with a comment like that, money doesn’t grow on trees.  _ Gisela questioned. Being rude was one thing but, “yes I do not have unlimited funds, as I also need to have some saved just in case I need to be careful”. That was polite enough. Gisela hoped so at least.

 

For the first time he seemed a little embarrassed, and not like he had earlier. All bruised pride, and face. 

 

This time he seemed almost like he had made a mistake.

 

“It should be affordable. The Rune Knights tend to get discounts and places like this and I should be able to get that to apply for you.”

 

That was… actually pretty nice. It mattered more than an apology anyways. “Thank you”.

 

He didn’t seem to know how to reply to that and Kagura didn’t seem interested in breaking the silence.

 

Thankfully they arrived at the shop before said silence could become awkward.

 

Erik’s Outfitting, the carved wooden sign proclaimed proudly to any passer by, under which was the slogan  _ Outfitting since X680. Impressive, even my,  _ here her thoughts stuttered a bit, they had all but told her they weren’t,  _ even the Raimus have only been around since X720.  _

 

“Don’t comment about the name”, Eric muttered sharply. 

 

Gisela sympathized, she remembered when Before when it felt like everybody and their aunt had had her name. Literally, in her best friend’s case.

 

_ Funny I haven't met anyone with it here.  _ She put that thought back into it’s box, she couldn’t think about that now. 

The sound of a bell rang out as Eric opened the door. Looking at the door frame when she passed through, she saw a bell. The wood around it was lighter, almost like it had just been added.

 

_ Will there be any magic here?  _ Gisela remembered the Doctor’s talk of Hargeon. She wasn’t going to get her hopes up.

 

She knew better than that.

 

“Can I help you”. 

 

Gisela was proud of how she didn’t jump. Between one moment and the next and old man had appeared behind the counter, his face wrinkled and watching them curiously.

 

Kagura and Eric looked at her.

 

She knew what that meant. “I am looking for a pair of boots, suitable for hiking. He, “ she explained, gesturing to Eric, “recommended your place as a good one to go too”. 

 

That was clear enough. 

 

He face lit up with unholy glee. “Right this way than girly”, he said, “I have just the pair that has been waiting for you”.

 

_ I’m eighteen and fifteen, maybe even thirty three depending on how you look at it, I’m not a girly,  _ Gisela thought rebelliously as she followed him. The idea of being  _ girly  _ just felt wrong on so many levels. She didn’t say it through, she did need the new pair of boots. And to get those she didn’t want to piss of the shopkeeper.

 

She knew better than that.

 

Luckily the rest of the trip went well, for a given meaning of the word well.

 

Erik was an odd old man, he handed her the first pair calling them, “his pretty girls” and asking them if they wanted to give Gisela’s feet a try.

 

They were pink. Bright pink, eye smarting, brain burning pink. Really they could have qualified to be a weapon in and of themselves. Gisela hadn’t missed people trying to put her in pink because she was a girl. 

 

Luckily those were too small for her feet. He put them back, muttering reassurances about, “how he still loved them”, the whole way. 

 

The second pair was black, that was a good thing. They also had high heels. Luckily he snatched them back as soon as they touched her hands, saying something about their vibes not matching.

 

It was at this point Gisela glanced and Kagua and Eric. She wasn’t quite sure what she was looking for. Maybe it was help? Either that or an assurance that Gisela wasn’t the one going crazy.

 

They were no help.

 

Eric seemed to be stifling laughter at Gisela’s expression and Kagura seemed to be bemused but not quite willing to interfere. That was nice of them.

 

All too soon he was back with a third pair, he seemed to have gotten the black idea, which was a good thing, and they didn’t have a heel either. 

 

The problem was the flowers, big, floppy flowers just sew on the sides and waiting for something to rip them off. 

 

Gisela had never purchased combat boots before but she was pretty sure that they didn’t have flowers on the side of four inch heels. Then again, this was Fiore, what did she know.

 

Luckily she was able to avoid the flower boots by hinting that they, “didn’t quite feel right on her feet”. That was polite and non offensive right? Gisela hoped so.

 

These too he comforted while walking away, saying that he would sew on an entire extra flower as an apology for disappointing them. 

 

Gisela still wasn’t sure how to react to that. He really was treating the boots like they were alive. 

 

There was still no help from the peanut gallery.  _ Jerks,  _ she thought, knowing that she was being uncharitable. 

 

They were spending time here because Gisela needed shoes after all. Maybe the shopkeep was a little odd, he still was doing his best and the boots were well made. Even the pinks ones. 

 

Gisela wished she could forget those. 

 

They really didn’t go with her aesthetic at all. Not to mention they just felt wrong.

 

This time it took him awhile to get back. He had left at a near run, saying that he was going to get some friends from the store room in back that he was sure would love to meet Gisela. She wasn’t sure quite how to respond to that. 

 

She hoped the shoes weren’t actually sentient. That would be awkward, Gisela wasn’t sure she wanted to be responsible for the mental wellbeing of her footwear.  

 

That was a sentence that Gisela never thought she would think. 

 

Before Gisela could devolve into questioning her life choices, not always a pleasant pastime, Erik was back.

 

She looked at his hands, curious to see what boots he had this time. 

 

They were perfect, simple, black leather and thick cloth carefully dyed and shaped. They supported her arches in just the right way. 

 

Yes they looked a little odd with her white, flowing chiton, Gisela pushed that feeling back into it's box, she had never cared much what she looked like anyways. They were comfortable and practical, that was what mattered.

 

Gisela denied the slight pang as she looked at her sandals, castaway on the floor and looking as melancholy as they ever had.

 

She was not going to fall into the trap of sentizing her foot wear. She was not.

 

“How much”, she asked, trying to hide how much she wanted them.

 

The price he quoted made her wince, even when Eric got the Rune Knight’s discount subtracted.

 

She ran through her funds, trying to figure out what they would look like when she was done.

 

An idea hit her, impulsively Gisela opened her mouth, “what if we traded, look at how lonely my old sandals will be.”

 

They did look rather forlorn. Something in the old man’s face softened as he looked at them.

 

The next price was much lower as he cooed over her old sandals saying how strong they must have been. 

 

Gisela agreed, the money changed hands along with the shoes and then they were out of the building. 

 

“Good idea with your sandals”, Kagura commented as they walked away from the store. 

 

Gisela savored the warmth that Kagura’s complement had given her as she walked, newly boot clad feet on the cobbled road. It gave her courage to ask a question. “Did you know he would be like that?”

 

“Yes. Erik is a good shopkeeper and his family has been making shoes for generations. He is a little odd but knows his stuff”. 

 

_ Full sentence, that is progress!  _ “If the store is so old than why is it called Erik’s outfitters?”. The old man hadn’t looked that old. In his seventies or eighties, yes, but not in his hundreds. Even if people could live a little longer in this world it wasn’t that old. 

 

_ Unless they were Zeref,  _ the detailed popped into her head randomly. She shoved it away, even if she was in Fiore she wasn't with Fairy Tail. They were the weirdness magnets, not her.    __

 

“I believe that all boys in the family are named Erik,” he paused for a moment, looking at the sun. When he spoke again his tone was far sharper. “Now if we are finished shopping we have things to do so let's stop dawdling”.

 

_ Eric is back to being Eric.  _ Gisela mused,  _ it was nice while it lasted. _

 

Somethings were like that. 

There was a definite tension in the air as they made it back to the Rune Knight’s headquarters.

 

Before it had only had Eric, and he had been sleeping, through Gisela wondered if he was just the most obvious protection. If she were in charge than she would have had someone keeping watch from a more hidden point.  _ Then again, it’s not like I know how much danger the Rune Knights are in and Eric could be a powerful mage. My senses aren’t that great for local magic.   _ It wasn’t that he felt weak exactly… except in kind of did. 

 

From what little Gisela had seen the Rune Knights did not appear to be nearly as ready as even her- the temple. 

 

Then again, they always had Minstrel to worry about. The temple did watch the harbor after all. 

 

But didn’t Hargeon have a whole trafficking problem.  _ One would think that they had more staff... _

 

_ Focus Gisela.  _ Walking back into the building made the whole thing realer than the new boots or the forms they had signed. 

 

The woman at the desk, she didn’t give a name and Gisela didn’t ask, directed them down the hallway. 

 

They didn’t go into the training room this time, instead taking another passage but the destination was the same.

 

Eric opened the door, something slightly mocking as he held it for them. It slammed shut with the sound of finality.

 

The whispers quieted.

 

The Commander was standing at the head of the table, when the door closed he looked up. “I’m glad you made it”, he said, a quick smile darting across his face.

 

“We did agree to come”, Kagura said flatly. “Is the briefing starting”.

 

Yet again he seemed taken aback by Kagura’s sharpness.  _ Get used to it.  _ “Right”.

 

He started by going over the structure of the Siren’s Tongues. Explaining that they were a Dark Guild, and it was interesting that the term was actually used by Dark guilds, that specialized in Charm Magic. 

 

Apparently the worked out of Bosco and frequently got other Guilds to do the dirty work for them, something that made it even harder to nail them down. 

 

He finished up by explaining that they suspected they were working with the remnants of Eisenwald, as assassin guild that had been taken out by Fairy Tail and that because of the level of danger they had to be even more careful.

 

Distantly part of Gisela was amused by the mutters that filtered through the room at the name Fairy Tail. 

 

Most of her was just cold as he explained the likely kill styles based on the informants information.

 

It was important, yes and Gisela fully acknowledged the need to know as much about possible enemies as she could but hearing about the bombs, about the rays of light that scorched through flesh killing at a distance. If it wasn’t the light that killed, it was the shadows. 

 

Eisenwald had swept a bloody swath through the years, not stopping even when the parlement of Fiore, along with the Magic Council, had ruled that taking or offering assassination missions was illegal.

 

They hadn’t stopped then. Even as they had been shattered, some taken to prison. The skills that had made them such killers had made them very good at hiding from the law. It was only luck that they had even this much of a warning.

 

Nothing had ever mentioned how terrifying Eisenwald was in real life, nor had it really sunk in that until a few years ago assassination by mage guild had been legal, if expensive and strongly disapproved of.

 

Gisela wasn’t sure what to think about that fact. 

 

The briefing continued, now going into the tactics that they would use. Team leaders were designated and the image of a warehouse was drawn up on the table. The shipment of Charmed Objects ws going to be hiding under the guise of being a jewelry shipment.  _ Well it is a jewelry shipment,  _ part of Gisela thought,  _ just… not a legal one.  _ Tomorrow it was going to be sold to different vendors, tonight was the chance to stop it. 

 

Gisela hung back, out of the way of the door but not part of the slowly organizing crowd. 

 

“Kagura, Eric, Gisela,” she looked up when her name was called, “you will be watching this entrance”, he pointed to one of the warehouses side entrances, “as well as this”,he showed a section of the perimeter, “if one of the mages has any magic that would allow them to escape”. 

 

“Understood”, Eric said, slipping into a salute. 

 

_ All I have to do is guard a door, I can do that.  _ She forced herself to meet his eyes, they needed this. They could do it.

Gisela blinked. Eric had branched off with the other Rune Knights to change. He looked different out of uniform, less ridiculous.

 

He still had his staff through, that was good. From what she had seen Rune Knights used their magic to wake the magic of objects. It was a good way to have a large number of mages that could synergize well, it just made them weaker and dependent on their objects.

 

Gisela preferred her clouds. They were always with her. 

 

“Lets go”. She saw Eric puff up at Kagura’s almost order before forcing himself down. That was good, they didn’t need intergroup tension before getting into a fight. 

 

All too soon they were there. Quietly waiting outside the warehouse, the other groups having their own locations to go to. It was dark but they were still close enough to the main areas of Hargeon that there were torches. Glinting faintly in the light she could see part of Kagura’s sword, held steady and half unsheathed. Ready for action.  

 

She felt her magic shift under her skin, clouds just waiting to be called on. Her protection and weapon.

 

Part of her wished she had a sword, not that she knew how to use one.

 

The bangs shock the ground, Gisela could feel the waves of magic released. She widened her stance, refusing to get thrown to the ground. They were too far away to hear voices but Gisela could feel the pulses of magic. The fighting had begun. 

 

Strangely nothing happened where they were. The three of them just stood, steady and watching. 

 

She couldn’t help but glance at them.

 

Eric seemed tense, hands gripping his weapon. She had the feeling that he wondered to be fighting.

 

Kagura seemed unfazed, standing calmly as she faced the building. Ready and unafraid.

 

_ What do I looked like to them?  _ Did she seem nervous, Gisela hoped not. She didn’t want to disappoint them.

 

Her gaze flicked to a shadow she saw shifting. It was just the branch.  

 

The bangs had quieted. “Think they’re done?”. Her voice seemed odd against the still quietness. 

 

“Possibly”, Kagura said calmly.

“We wait here to be relieved”, Eric ordered.

 

“Sounds good”. Gisela had seen Kagura bristle, she didn’t want them to fight. Better to distract them before that happened.

 

The surge of magic was a second too late to work as a warning.

 

_ Light! _

 

It burned. 

 

Someone was screaming. Was it her? 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are going to be speeding up (a little) from now on

It was her. 

 

Spots danced across her eyes as she lashed out with her magic, surrounding herself in clouds. A cocoon of shadows and darkness. Of Quiet.

 

Her head pounded, worse than any headache she had ever experienced. 

 

_ What had happened. _

 

She answered her own question, they were being attacked. 

 

Her heart beat, already racing, skyrocketed. 

 

She heard the sound of clashing steel. Kagura was fighting.  _ I need to move. This won’t hold forever.  _ It felt like she was encased in lead. 

 

_ I’m scared.  _

 

Suddenly the image of the sea monster rearing up, of the storm front hitting ran through her brain. 

 

She couldn’t do anything then. Maybe she could now?

 

She flung her hands outward, turning the clouds into a burst. Rapidly Gisela glanced around, trying to asses the situation. 

 

Kagura was fighting, sword drawn as she matched blades with a green haired man, he moved surprisingly fast for his size. 

 

They were playing for keeps, even Gisela could see that. 

 

She found herself transfixed by the sight. 

 

“Move!”. 

 

Gisela threw herself to the ground without hesitation, pain stabbing at her from the blast of light that went over her head. 

 

There was Eric, fending of blasts of light from another man who almost looked like he had whiskers. “I’d rather fight a pretty girl”, he said, having the nerve to smile when Gisela looked at him. “I guess I haven't learned my lesson from last time”.

 

Eric chose that moment to send another staff blast at the whiskered man. “Get your head in the game”. He commanded. 

 

Gisela forced herself up. Kagura was still doing well, not even sparing a glance for the comotion. 

 

Eric wasn’t. His staff’s beams were unsuited for this type of combat and rune sealing needed more than one person. Not to mention the challenge of light mage vsers light mage. Gisela needed to do something. 

 

“Cloud burst”, she whispered, sending balls of hardened cloud at him to impede to distract. 

 

In out in out they weaved, a constant, homing barrage.

 

He turned at her, she resisted the urge to quail. He was not someone she needed to like her.  He snarled, crescents of light hurtling at her. 

 

_ Block. _

 

She felt their impacts, each one got closer to her. What was Eric doing? “A little help here?”, she called out.

 

Still nothing, Gisela could feel the pressure mounting on her crossed arms. She couldn’t hold this for long.

 

She had no choice. 

 

_ Explode.  _

 

One again her clouds burst out in a circle, a ring of protection. She saw Eric, he was on the ground.

 

Wiskers followed her eyes.

 

He grinned. “Let’s see if you can take care of both of us girly”. 

 

Time slowed down. 

 

“No”. Gisela screamed, defiant as the beam of light aimed for Eric. She would not let it happen. Her clouds formed around him, a cocoon of protection. 

 

She realized his plan. The second beam formed in his hands the moment the first left. She didn’t have enough clouds. 

 

_ Hold.  _ She begged as she felt the light build. 

 

Felt it impact against her shield. 

 

_ Pain.  _

 

It filled her, inside and out as she tried not to scream. An act of defiance. Of absorption.

 

She couldn’t hold it any more. 

 

Her vision was fuzzy. His face blurred.

 

She flung her hands out wide again, another blast of clouds. A desperate hope.

 

_ Light! _

 

Her clouds burst out, she could barely see through the fuzz but they looked liked they were… glowing? 

 

Light came from behind Wiskers. He fell.

 

She could make out a Kagura blur standing over a something. Had they won? 

 

Her head was pounding, stars danced across her vision. Her blood roared in her ears. 

 

She had time for one more thought,  _ Not again.  _

 

Darkness. 

 

The first thing she was aware of was the pain. As she shifted it spiked, stabbing through her head. 

 

The next thing she was aware of was the soreness. Once, Before, she had had pale skin, it had burned easily. 

 

The burning felt like that. Tight and hot and painful. 

 

Then it hit her.

 

_ Were they okay?  _

 

She forced her eyes open, feeling tears on her face, the cool dampness a relief. The stars were still there, her gaze blurry.

 

The room looked white… and blurry. 

 

Nothing like the dark wearhouse where she had… passed out?  _ Again. I need to stop doing that.  _ She pushed that thought from her mind too, she needed to make sure that they were okay. That she hadn’t messed up, hadn’t failed them.

 

She had too. 

 

The movement made her skin burn. She looked down for the first time. Her chition looked singed in places, it was hard to tell with how her sight was blurred. Her skin didn’t look any better either. 

 

_ Nowhere to go but through,  _ she reminded herself as she forced herself off the bed. Something started beeping. A relentless, ringing chime.

 

Gisela couldn’t help the moan that escaped her mouth at the noise. The stabbing in her head had changed to a drilling. The stars moved faster, their duets growing more intense. The ringing in her ears was rebounding through her skull.

 

Her skin burned. Someone was in front of her, touching her. Gisela pulled back, stumbling back onto the bed behind her. 

 

That just hurt worse.

 

“Kagura?”, she asked, forcing the question past her chapped lips. 

 

“Is fine”. 

 

That was good. If Kagura was fine the Eric was fine and that meant that Gisela hadn’t failed. That then end hadn’t been a dream. She had done something. 

 

Her skin burned. 

 

Her headache. 

 

Her eyes danced. 

 

But she had won. They were safe, her freezing didn’t damn them to death, her hesitation hadn’t been their end. 

 

She hadn’t failed again. 

 

Gisela could hold onto that. The person who had helped her was pulling up the sheet, the beeping had stopped. 

 

That was something else good.  

 

She let go. 

 

When Gisela woke up again, she did it slowly. It was far less painful. Her skin still burned, sending shocks of pain down her arms. Her eyes were clear through, this time she could make out the other beds- four had people, they all appeared to be asleep, on them and the various trappings of a medical room. 

 

Glancing around she looked for a window. How long had she been asleep for? 

 

Gisela didn’t know. 

 

She debated getting up. Kagura was safe, she remembered hearing that from the first time she woke up. That wasn’t something that she had to worry about.

 

She was still debating what to do when she saw a familiar face enter the room. “Doctor Serpentwind”. Was that her voice? She didn’t normally sound so harsh, it was like she had been gargling rocks. Not that she knew what that would sound like of course.

 

“You’re awake. Normally it takes people a few months to come back”, the doctor said dryly as she came over. 

 

“Sorry about that?”, Gisela offered. It wasn’t like she wanted to be laying in a bed feeling like parts of her skin were on fire.

 

“Honestly. Magic depletion and what amounts to a severe case of sunburn. You are lucky your magic shielded you as much as it did. Light magic might sound tame but it really isn’t. Not if you don’t want to be toast”. 

 

She couldn’t help it. The pain was making her snarking, “is that my prognosis? I’m toast?”. 

 

It sounded funnier in her head. Most things did.

 

“Not yet but you will be if you keep challenging light mages like that. You should be glad you didn’t end up like your friend over there”. 

 

“My friend?”. She had only taken a glance at the other beds.  _ They only said they were fine. Fine can be a lot of different things.  _ Gisela knew that for sure. 

 

“The Rune Knight you were with”.

 

“What happened to him?”, Gisela demanded. She remembered trying to shield him even though her clouds lost durability with distance and time but it had been all she could do when Wisker had looked at him and-

 

“Breathe girl, that knight will live to fight another day”. 

 

“What happened to him?”. 

 

“In simple terms, the world's worst case of sunburn. You should put on creams and be careful of sun exposure. It will be the same for him. But that is what happens when you take on a light mage. Really you two are lucky that you're burns aren't worse”.

 

“But he will be fine”. Gisela could tell the doctor was getting annoyed with her. It was too bad, she needed to make sure that Eric was okay, that she hadn’t failed again. She could be loud for that. 

 

She could be loud for other people. 

 

“Yes he will be fine. But that is all I should tell you, in fact, I’m not sure I should have even told you that so be quiet or your next check up will be not so pleasant”.

 

That was not a good tone. Gisela lay there awkwardly, looking up at the Doctor’s, now annoyed, face. She raised an eyebrow, daring Gisela to ask more questions. 

 

After a few moments Doctor Serpantwind smiled. It wasn’t exactly a nice smile, too many teeth for that. 

 

It looked rather like the serpent. It said something about her mental state that she didn’t quall from that memory.

 

The women in front of her was scarier. 

 

Doctors were scary. How had Gisela forgotten that trope? 

 

_ I remember it now.  _ Lessons had been learned. That was one of them.

 

After that Gisela got to truly see the burns on her bandaged, that's why they were itching so much, arms. They were pink and blistered in places, it felt like they were radiating heat when she hovered her other hand over them.

 

Her normally soft brown skin looked awful. Even when her skin had been white as anything she had never managed to be burned quite so badly. As if in response to her thoughts pain started pounding down her arms.

 

It was a lovely treat, just what she wanted.

 

She almost pulled back when she noticed the salve in the doctor's hands. She forced herself to keep them in place, she had already atagoznid the doctor enough. 

 

It was hard to hold back her moan of pleasure as the doctor gently coated her arms in a salve. It sent shivers down her back as the itching was reduced to far more manageable levels. Her head hurt but that was better to, it was more of a dull throb than Kagura’s sword in the back of her head level pain. 

 

Even thinking about how much that would hurt sent shivers down Gisela’s spine. At least it took her attention off the pain in her arms. That was something.

 

“Thanks”. A thought occurred to her, she knew Kagrua was fine, she had been told that earlier, but, “where is Kagura?”.

 

“I believe your friend was helping to ensure the prison transfer. Now that you are awake you may join her as long as you go through what you need to take care of your arms.”  _ And don’t mess up my hard work.  _ It wasn’t said out loud but Gisela had the sense it had been thought. Strongly. 

 

Luckily what she needed to do for her arms wasn’t too bad. It was pretty much basic sunburn treatment, clean the bandages and put more salve on, don’t peal. For as much as they hurt it wasn’t actually that bad. 

 

It could have been much worse.

 

Eric was still asleep, part of Gisela was tempted to try and wake him up and… she wasn’t sure what. It was not like they talked much, or even liked each other. Gisela had the feeling that he actively disliked her. Given how she did in the fight maybe he had a reason.

 

_ I need to be better. I can’t freeze up and look after my own skin like that, I refuse.  _ It was comforting to put that into words, even if it was only in her head.

 

Finally, her bandages were done being wrapped. It all looks so much more manageable under the clean, white cloth. 

 

Her chition was signed, Gisela felt a small pang, she would have to take care of that.

 

_ Later,  _ she told herself. Most of the cloth was still intact. It wasn’t like the whole thing was destroyed or anything. Just the sleeves, the rest just had a scattering of dirt. One dirty thing in a clean white room.

 

“Can I go now?”. Kagura wasn’t here and while she highly doubted that they lied to her about Kagura being okay she still wanted to find her friend, to make sure that she was okay. 

 

They were friends. She was allowed to be worried. 

 

The doctor rolled her eyes. “Yes you can go. Just make sure to keep those clean. From what I’ve heard your magic is nothing to sneeze at, you should heal much faster once you fill back up again”.

 

“Thank you”. She looked at Eric, he was still asleep.  _ I’ll check in on him later,  _ she promised herself silently as she left. 

 

It wasn’t like she could gain anything from sitting at someone's bedside.

 

Right outside the door she realized something. She didn’t actually know where the meeting room was. 

 

That… was a problem.  _ It’s fine,  _ she comforted herself,  _ I will just find someone who knows where to go and ask them.  _ Part of her was tempted to ask the doctor. The other part remembered everything else. It wasn’t worth it. 

 

Not yet. 

 

Finally after asking two different Knights, both who looked at her oddly, she found her way to the office. 

 

Gisela let out a sigh of relief. She had made it without having to ask the doctor. 

 

She raised her hand to knock as the door swung open. 

 

“Gisela, come in”. The commander was back at his desk, filling out paperwork. There was Kagura, sitting in one of the chairs.

 

“Am I to late?”, Gisela asked nervously. 

 

He waved off her worry, “we just started going through the paperwork when I got the buzz you had been released.”.

 

“The buzz?”. Gisela hadn’t heard of anything like that. How had he known she was about to come? 

 

“It's a lacrima system. Most Rune Knight bases with more than a few squadrons have them. We may not be the most popular base but we do believe in being prepared”.

“Which was why you hired us”. It was an impressive segway from Kagura, if they were on their own that Gisela would have clapped. 

 

She was still tempted to.

 

“Exactly”. He agreed genially. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

 

Gisela couldn’t help herself, “and if you were already in the doctor's office”. 

 

“Why then I’d think you’d want more prevention. Now will you take your seat. We saved you a chair”. Gisela wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Taking a seat was easy enough through. It was nice to be sitting down. 

 

Despite Gisela’s worries the conversation went well, all the commander just went over who exactly they had taken in, Byard and  Karacka and Eisenwald and their successes. 

 

Overall it went… well. They got their payment slips, redeemable at any Bank of Fiore, and Gisela hadn’t even been called out for mess up during that fight. That was good.

 

It was funny, Gisela found herself thinking as she filled out the paperwork, how much fear and danger could be summed up in, “few injuries but no casualties”. It sounded so easy that way, there was no hint of her panic, of the pain of the light searing her skin. 

 

Even the small line about their aid was like that. 

 

It was an odd feeling. Gisela pushed it down as not relevant. She would deal with it later.

 

“Do you two wish to be present for the prison transfer. I let headquarters know and the team should be here within three days”. 

 

That was a question, Gisela glanced at Kagura to see what the other girl thought. 

“How long will your arms take to heal. Traveling if we have to take care of them could slow us down”.

 

Gisela thought back to what the doctor said. “A few days. It won’t be too long, they don’t hurt much anyways”. 

 

“Do you want to stay for the transfer?”. 

 

Gisela hadn’t expected to be asked. She thought about it for a moment. Now that they had started, had fought she did want to see it through. “Would you need us for a trial or something?”, she paused for a moment, “sir”, she added, trying to fix her mistake.

 

“I think we have enough evidence, we should be good there”.

 

Nothing for it. “I would like to stay if that is okay with you Kagura”. She didn’t want to be a burden on the other girl but Gisela wanted to look the man she had fought in the face again. She wanted to see this through, even if she didn’t quite know why.

 

“Then that is what we will do. I believe I will look into getting my sword sharpened again”.

 

“Right than, I will send someone to notify you two when the group arrives”.

 

“Tell Eric I hope he gets better”. It came out in a rush, Gisela covered her mouth as soon as it was out before definitely lowering her hand back to her side where she clenched it into a fist. It would be harder for him yes, but she needed to talk to Eric. 

 

His face softened for a moment. Maybe he wasn’t so annoyed after all? 

 

That was a good thing. “I will”, he agreed. 

 

They were done talking, both of them took the silent suggestion that it was time for them to leave. 

 

“Are you okay?”, Gisela asked as they left the room. Kagura looked fine, yes, and was walking all but Gisela hadn’t seen the fight. Gisela didn’t like not knowing.

 

“I am fine. I got a few scratches but I won in the end”, she paused for a moment, “Gisela, I would like to thank you. Your help with my gravity magic was valuable in this battle”.

 

Gisela felt the grin on her face take shape, not quite against her will. “Thank you for the combat help, I needed that too”.

 

She was rewarded with a small smile. It felt good.

 

They ended up staying at a small inn on the outskirts of the district, it was clean and serviceable but nothing fancy. Just what Gisela liked. 

 

The first day nothing changed. Gisela kept an ear out for any news from the Rune Knights, hoping that Eric had woken up or something. Nothing. 

 

What she did do what take care of her arms and make sure her things were in order. 

 

Than she talked to Kagura. “We should look into getting so sort of job when we leave. Check if there is some shipping or something. Then we could look while making money”.

 

Kagura thought for a moment. Gisela resisted the impulse to shift under the girl’s steady gaze. “The train route means that there is less of a need from that type of job here at least not in the direction I was planning”.

 

“So we take the train than look for work after?”. 

 

“Exactly”. 

 

After than Gisela spent the day practicing combat again. She refused to mess up like last time. 

 

The second day found her antsier. It was harder to convince herself that everything was okay. It was because of that she spent most of the day meditating. 

 

It was a relaxing way to spend the time and it gave her time to unwind. To stop wondering how people thought about her and if she was good enough and just relax. 

 

It was nice.

 

The worries that came after were less so. 

 

Luckily, bright and earlier on the third day, a message came that Eric had woken up. 

 

He was still in the infirmary but doing better. He grinned as Gisela entered. It was the most friendly expression that she had ever seen on his face.

 

Even so, talking to him was hard. “I’m glad to see you are okay,” Gisela offered. It was a good neutral way to start to conversation.

 

“Thanks. I assume you got out before me?”.

 

The burns on her arms were almost all healed, even so she had kept the bandages on for a little longer. Better safe than sorry. “Yeah, I got out three days ago”.

 

The conversation stilled again. 

 

“I’m sorry”. 

 

They both said it at once. 

 

“Why are you sorry?”. Gisela blurted out. 

 

“Because I was rude when you came. I apologize for that”.

 

“It’s fine”, it wasn’t like he had been that rude to her. 

 

“Now why are you sorry?”.

 

Gisela hesitated for a moment before talking, “I hesitated when”, she remembered the burst of light, her instice reaction, “when the mage appeared. I’m sorry. I’d say that I’ll do better next time but I don’t think there will be a next time”.

 

“Why not?”.

 

“Kagura and I are moving on soon. We are just here to see the prison transfer through”. 

 

“I don’t blame you, you know. That was your first time in real combat and you came through by the end”.

 

Gisela wasn’t quite sure she could buy that. “Thanks”. 

 

The rest of the conversation was equally awkward and Gisela found herself relieved when a Rune Knight whose name she didn’t know came in to get her.  Eric waved her off, he was still stuck in a bed.  _ Poor him,  _ she thought sympathetically. 

 

They didn’t do anything at the transfer. They just stood and watched as the glaring forms of Whiskers, who Gisela had learned was actually named Byrad, and the man Kagura had dueled,  Karacka, were given to the other knights and put into a carriage. 

 

After that it was time to leave. Kagura had gotten a lead for Clover Town so they were taking the train. 

 

She watched from the window of her surprisingly comfortable seat as Hargeon shrunk behind her.

 

_ All in all,  _ she found herself thinking,  _ things could have ended up much worse. _

 


	23. Chapter 23

Surprisingly nothing happened on the way to Clover Town. Somehow Gisela had been waiting for something dramatic to happened. For bandits to attack or for the train to get derailed or something. 

 

Not at all. 

 

Nothing.

 

Instead the train pulled smoothly in and out of the stations, the only thing changing were the people nearby. She had especially had been expecting for there to be something in Magnolia, it was Fairy Tails’ hometown after all.

 

It should have been relaxing, nice not to have to run through the exercises that Kagura had given her. To be able to meditate and breath and be still.

 

Her magic itched under her skin. 

 

A need to move, to run. To let it out and dance. Was this why mages had such bad self control? Sitting still was getting hard.  _ I wonder if Kagura is as bored as I am.  _ Gisela glanced at the other girl, her posture was as perfect as ever but maybe, just maybe Gisela could see a hint of boredom in her eyes.

 

_ Let's give it a shot.  _ “How did your fight go? I saw your blade clash for a second but…”. She had mainly been trying to survive the light at that point. 

 

“It went okay. My opponent wasn’t all that good with his blade, really his only skill was his surprise attacks and once he lost that the trick was to pin him down”.

 

“How did you do that?”. 

 

“I reversed his gravity, he phased up onto my blade. I was going to help you when you took him down. How did you do the light attack?”

 

“Light attack?”, Gisela paused for a moment, that made no sense, “My magic is clouds, you know that”. 

 

“I know what I saw. I had just finished my opponent off when Eric fell. Your clouds started to glow and then there was a shockwave of light.  I believe that was what took down the Light mage. It was like your magic absorbed his magic before returning it”. 

 

Gisela tried to think back to the fight, to the chaos of the exchange of magics. Had she done anything like that? “I haven't used my magic against other people’s magic much, so it could be true but I have never done anything like that before”. 

 

There, that was an answer that covered all her bases. 

 

“We should try and test it later, through I doubt my magic would work well. How would you absorb gravity?”

 

Gisela tried to picture it. Gravity was a force, it wasn’t something that someone could catch and hold. Even the concept that she had somehow managed to hold light was unbelievable enough and at least that had had a beam shape of sorts.

 

It just didn’t work. “I don’t see it either. Could you help me with my hand to hand next time we have a chance, I need to get stronger”.

 

Exponding clouds or not Gisela had made it through that fight on luck. She was not going to bet on chance again. 

 

Not ever.

 

She was going to get stronger.

 

“I was thinking that we should see if we can find work in Clover Town. Earlier we talked about working guard duty while I looked for my brother that makes sense. I was unable to get a much of a lead from the Magic Council, while he was recorded by other survivors he did not work with them to get resettled. Also, they could not tell me, for legal reasons, where they had helped people resettle so we will have to look on our own”.

 

“That's too bad. Where have you already looked?”

 

The rest of the conversation was working out where Kagura had been. While she had traveled a good part of Fiore most of it was before the Tower came down and thus would have to be looked at again. 

 

After that the conversation drifted, Gisela didn’t really want to talk about her past but listening to Kagura describe the different parts of Fiore was cool.

 

It was nice to just talk as well, in the time they had been traveling together they hadn’t actually spoken much. It was kind of sad, actually. 

 

_ We can fix that now.  _ Gisela comforted herself. She did want to be friends with Kagura after all. 

 

Finally the train ride was over. 

 

Part of Gisela was glad to be off the rails, even so, “do you know why the railways stop here. They are really convenient and it is kind of a shame”.

 

“The rails don’t go any further, problems with inheritance stopped them here and in Gallowstown on the other coast. The original plan was to have them intersect at the capitol in order to connect the country”

 

“Inheritance?”

 

“The women whose family technically owned the land died, while the land went to the husband it was held in trust as he was not of the blood line. Then the daughter renounced her title formally as part of the requirements to being in a mage guild. Now the land is kind of in limbo”

 

“So we just walk the rest of the way”.

 

“Pretty much”, Kagura said with a quick, barely there shrug. 

 

Finally the ride was over. Gisela had actually struggled to contain her jitters as she watched the passengers in other cars leave. She was so ready to get off. 

 

She flushed slightly when she saw a child looking at her, their actions weren’t so dissimilar after all. 

 

She tried to still herself after that, using meditative breathing to calm down. To still her magic, she could find action later.

 

No matter how she looked she was not a child.

 

The station in Clover Town was almost as nice as the station in Hargeon was, nicer in the fact that it didn’t smell quite as much of fish.

 

Gisela had gotten really tired of the smell of fish. And fish in general, from serpents down they just weren’t her thing. 

 

What really drew her eye through was the plague they passed as they exited. It looked new. 

 

_ Dedicated to those who perished in Eisenwald take over in X783.  _ With a list of names underneath. The list was, while not infinite by any means, longer than Gisela would have thought. She didn’t have many memories of that arc, but she had never thought of it as violent. 

 

She had never really thought of Fairy Tail as stupid either.  _ Things are different when they are real. _

 

“They did get around”, Gisela remarked. Suddenly she was glad that she had fought those mages. 

 

“They did”. Kagura agreed in her normal reserved manner. “I suggest that we begin to look for work? ” 

 

“Sounds good.” Clover Town looked okay, the deja vu it gave her was almost painful through. It looked a lot like a small town from Before, just a little more medieval than Gisela was used too. 

 

She banished that thought from her mind, putting it back into its box. “You haven't been here before, right? I’ll start looking around while you see if anyone knows anything?”, Gisela offered. Talking to people would be a pain but she had some idea how to do it. 

 

She didn’t want to be in Clover Town for long. 

 

“That works, meet you here around six? We can get dinner than”. 

 

They broke off. 

 

People stared a little here too at Gisela’s different outfit. Even through her boats were sturdy and she could barely feel the road beneath them their chition was still different enough to catch the eye. 

 

Their stares prickled on the back of Gisela neck. 

 

Reaching the next posted town map was good, it gave her another chance to orient herself. 

 

It was also when she realized that she didn’t exactly have a plan for how she was going to look for work. Yes, they had learned in Hargeon that a number of trade routes started in Clover Town and branched out from there. Yes, they had learned that there were escort jobs. 

 

That didn’t change the fact that Gisela didn’t know where to look to find said jobs. 

 

That had been a little bit of an oversight. 

 

_ Oh well, nothing to do but look.  _

 

Thankfully it wasn’t as hard as Gisela has worried it would be, it took a bit of looking around, yes but Gisela found herself directed to a… bar. 

 

_ The Lucky Clover.  _ It was a sturdy building, the type of place that could be anywhere from twenty to one fifty years old and had been built to last. The only adornment was the carved, weathered, four leaf clover that had been carved into the front of the door. 

 

_ It makes sense,  _ Gisela reassured herself,  _ bars make good gathering places. Most people love going to bars.  _ It was just that most people weren’t Gisela, she wasn’t sure if she had really been to a bar in her life. Before or after. 

 

_ Time to start. Nowhere to go but through.  _ She used those thoughts to galvanize herself into opening the oaken door. 

 

She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the slightly shadowy interior. It was mostly empty, she could see a group of men sitting at one table, Gisela made a note to avoid them, and a person looking at what she assumed was a menu at another. 

 

Gisela found herself grateful that neither group had looked up when she entered. 

 

_ It’s not like you won’t have to talk to them later,  _ she scolded herself. 

 

She shifted her gaze from the two sides of the bar to the front. 

 

In front she could see the bar, the barkeep wasn’t in at the moment but Gisela could see a board posted behind them.

 

Was it the job postings? She couldn’t see much on it. 

 

It did not look like a good omen. 

 

“Hello”, she called out, wincing at just how quiet her voice was. Both parties swung to look at her. “What are you doin her girl?”, one of the men called out. 

 

There wasn’t a good answer, if she ignored him he might get mad, if she told him he might get mad. Finally she settled on, “I need to talk to the bar keep”.

 

“You new in town?”

 

_ What do you think.  _ “Yes”.

 

“Here’s some advice, most of the jobs are already taken, you’d have to be a mage to get something at this point”.

 

She couldn’t help it, “Good thing I am one than. Thanks for the tip”. 

 

He laughed and turned back to his group. Part of Gisela was tempted to show them her clouds, to show that she was a mage. She turned away from them.  _ They’re not worth it. _

 

“Sorry it took me so long, I was in the wine seller”, an older woman said as she emerged from the back. “I’m Jannet Farthing, one of the bar keeps of the Lucky Clover what can I do for you? You look a little young for drink after all”. Normally Gisela would have been almost insulted by a statement like that, Jannet had a way of making it friendly.

 

“Gisela, I was told this was the place to go if you were looking for guard work?”.The lady seemed to hesitate a bit, “I can assure you that I can fight, if you want we could go outside for a demonstration. I have also done work with the Magic Council before if that counts for anything”. Half the reason she had done that job was for the credentials after all. 

 

The other woman paused for a moment, thinking. “A demonstration would be nice, I should warn you that pickings are lean around this time of year and most of the jobs require special skills. Also the Brown group is after the guarding job that is currently open”.

 

_ Oh no oh no oh on,  _ she forced her worry down, keeping her face blank. She could survive a mage fight, she could do this. Her only tell was that she clenched her hands slightly, feeling her nails bite into her fingers. “Thanks for the warning”. That sounded mature enough, right?

 

She felt a tickle on the back of her neck as they left the bar. Part of Gisela was tempted to look back but she didn’t, she needed to make a good impression and that meant paying attention- even if she wasn’t always good at that.

 

The clearing outside had obviously been used for testing before. There were logs set up in the corner and just a general air of “this place has taken a beating”. 

 

Gisela debated how to show her magic, while she liked her clouds and was at all ashamed of them they didn’t look flashy. More fluffy really. 

 

_ There! _

 

Gisela saw a bush on the outskirts rustling, she didn’t hesitate- worst case scenario it was just demonstrating the force. 

 

“Cloud burst”. 

 

Her clouds battered the bush, creating a haze of white fluff and leaves. When Gisela yanked it away she could see a man lying in the wreckage of the bush.

 

He had been one of the men sitting at the bar. 

 

“Why did you follow us?”, Gisela demanded, trying to be intimidating. 

 

The man just groaned. Jannet moved over to him, looking at Gisela with wide eyes.  _ Did no one expect her to be a mage?  _

 

The man shoved away Jannets worried hands, instead forcing himself up on a nearby tree. “That’s assault”, he said, snarling. 

 

Gisela found it hard to care what this man felt about her, he didn’t have control of her paycheck, or anything like that. All he had done was follow her. “Shouldn’t have followed us than, how was I supposed to know you weren’t some type of robber?”. She made sure to say the last part faux innocent. It sounded better that way.

 

He growled with inarticulate rage and shoved himself forward in an obviously telegraphed charge. 

 

He raised his club up to bash down. 

 

She raised her arms up clouds forming a shield. There was no need to call this out. 

 

He bounced his first strike, she could see his muscles bulge as he tried to control the rebound. 

 

His lower half was unguarded.

 

Just like Kagura had taught her she lashed out with a quick kick. She felt her magic shift with her body, reinforcing her leg against the hit. 

 

He hit the tree once again.

 

_ Did I really hit him that hard?  _

 

She glanced at Jannet, the other women’s eyes were even wider than before as she stared at Gisela. 

 

Gisela felt a lump form in her throat. Jannet did matter. She needed that job.

 

What did she do now? Her mind raced wildly as the moment stretched on. Jannet broke it first, bending down to check on the fallen man. “Well that was one way to demonstrate your combat potential”. 

 

Gisela couldn’t help the nervous giggle that escaped her throat. In her mind she replayed the scene of the guy flying back into the tree, actually shaking the plant. She hadn’t hit him that hard? “Was I adequate?”, she managed to get out.

 

“I’ll introduce you to our clients. He’ll be fine, just took a knock on the tree. That was an impressive kick”, she hesitated for a moment thinking, “Gisela”. 

“Thanks?”.  _ That was a compliment right?  _

 

They started to walk back to the house, leaving the man against the tree. “I do have to ask, are you attached to a guild? If you are there is a different process for getting work”.

 

“No”. Gisela felt the need to elaborate tugging at her, she gave in to in, “Kagua, my friend”, and it gave her a warm lurch to refer to the other girl like that, “and I are traveling to find her brother”. Gisela paused for a moment, “she’s a mage too”.

 

“Right. I’ll let caravan know that you guys are looking for an interview and help to broker a contract. I should warn you through, I don’t know how long term this job will be, the caravan normally goes with guild guards, it just happened that the guild was to busy to send mages this time”. 

 

“Is the caravan ready to talk now, I agreed to meet with my friend for dinner”.

 

They were back at the bar, “that works. I will get the caravan leaders here to meet you than”.

 

Gisela was about to leave, a thought stopped her, “what’s that caravan named?”

 

“Oaken Paths, I’ll let them explain what to do. See you at six”, she paused for a moment, “and keep your eyes out. I don’t know how the Brown brothers will react to what you just did”. 

 

“Thanks for the warning”. And Gisela would keep it in mind, she wasn’t stupid. 

 

It was the work of around thirty minutes to make it back to the train station. It was around five thirty at this point. All in all it hadn’t taken Gisela long to do her job. The thought that she was so close to succeeding at something sent a thrill of excitement through her. 

 

Getting things done felt nice.

 

She couldn’t help but turn her attention back to the fight, two things stuck out to her. The way her clouds had coated her like an armor and the kick. 

 

She had wanted to force him back. 

 

She forced back the laughter that was trying to bubble up. She had certainly managed that.  _ I should ask Kagura, she might know something.  _

 

In the meantime she decided to experiment. Her clouds came so easily now and she called them, pushing them to make not a wall or a platform but armor. It looked soft and fluffy but she knew from experience that she could make her clouds hard as anything. Magic was fun like that. 

It didn’t always obey the laws of nature. 

 

It almost never did. 

 

Trying to bend her arm gave her a little bit of a headache, keeping the clouds moving was harder than she through. 

 

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kagura approaching, head down.  _ No good news than.  _

 

She banished the clouds, going to meet her friend. 

 

“I think I got us an interview for guarding a caravan”. 

 

“Then let's go”. Kagura didn’t offer any detail about what she had done and Gisela didn’t ask. 

 

Maybe another time. 

 

The walk from the train station was about fifteen minutes long know that Gisela knew where they were going. 

 

About seven minutes in Kagura poked her, the three men were in front of her, lounging against the walls.  _ People actually did that?  _

 

Gisela tried not to smirk at the knot on one of their heads. She knew him.

 

“What do you want”, Kagura asked coldly, one of her hands of her sword.

 

“Go away. We are going to take the job. If you leave now we won’t even punish you for hurting Joe”.

 

“No”. That was Kagura. Gisela could tell she was spoiling for a fight. 

 

Gisela was a little less anxious, “if you couldn’t beat me than why do you think you could win against both of us”

 

Apparently that was to much for the man, he rushed forward, the other two following. 

 

When she could smell the alcohol in the air she lashed out clouds protecting her arms again. 

 

Something came down behind her.

 

She was a moment to slow, preoccupied with hitting the man in front of her. 

 

Kagura blocked it. 

 

Then they were fighting again, back to back.

 

It was over in moment, the men lying on the ground, groaning. “Should we report this?”, Gisela asked uncertainty.

 

“We can ask at the bar, they attacked us”. Kagura put her sheath back on her belt, she hadn’t even bothered to draw her sword.

 

One of the guys groaned as they walked past, it reminded Gisela of something, “thanks for watching my back”.

 

“No problem”.

 

They walked into the bar.

  
  



	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Super short chapter cause I had WAY to many tests this week. Note: Gisela has something like a panic attack in this chapter

“So your the ones looking for work”. Gisela looked back at the women steadily, she had the feeling that this person would not respect anything else. 

  


“We are. I am Kagura and that is Gisela. We are mages. Jannet said that you might have work for us?”.

  


Gisela could feel the other woman's consideration, could see it in her steady brown eyes, it prickled on her skin. Gisela just focused on keeping herself level. She did not need to panic now. 

  


“I might. I don’t know if Jannet told you, I’m Lana Olietta. The jobs helping us get back to Waas forest to our compound, that's the trial run, from there we’d see if you wanted us to stay on or not. It takes about a week and a half to get there, more if the weather isn’t in our favor or the trails aren’t in good condition. We take stops along the way to sell our stock”

  


Gisela couldn't help but ask, “what do you guys sell?”. 

  


The women grinned, “furniture”. 

  


“What type?”. 

  


“Wood, my family's been doing it for generations”.

  


“Why do you need new guards than?”, Kagura interjected.

  


Lana sighed, “normally we work with a mage guild, Fairy Tail, but I’m sure you know that a lot of Fairy Tail’s top members are missing. They can’t fill all of their job requests now so we needed a new group. I don’t think that the Waas forest is the most dangerous part of Fiore, no, but I still wouldn’t go through unguarded, just because of the beasts”.

  


“How big is the caravan?”.

  


“It’s me and my husband, Lucas, as well as our kids, Aki and Aiko, and my younger cousins Daiki and his girlfriend Eiko”.

  


Gisela had a bad feeling, “how old are the kids?”. 

  


“Aki and Aiko are both ten. It is their first year with us”. Lana sounded so proud as she said that, distantly part of Gisela pictured how excited Maape had been, how Gastislion had worked and worked, how she had ended up on her first trip. 

  


She put those thoughts back into the box. 

  


She didn’t have time to deal with them now. 

  


“They know to listen?”.  _ Looks like Kagura isn’t the biggest kid person either.  _ Gisela tried not to be amused at that. 

  


“Well enough”, she paused for a moment, amusement showing in her brown eyes, “they might listen to you two better than me. They idolize mages”.

  


“Why would that do that?”. It was out before Gisela could stop it. 

  


Both of them looked at her. Gisela flapped her hands awkwardly, “I just meant that we were so close in age and all, I know we are good but to a kid we look kind of young”, she trailed off as Kagura twitched.  _ That sounds a little better, right? It was an odd thought through, people actually recepting magic and not just seeing it as a necessary evil.  _

  


_ Erani didn’t see it that way… _

  


Gisela pulled herself back to the present and the conversation, which had moved on.

  


_ Thank you Kagura for smoothing away the awkwardness,  _ Gisela thought as Kagura and Lana started discussing payment methods. That was good. Kagura had a much better concept of money in Fiore than Gisela did.  _ Also,  _ Gisela thought wryly,  _ she is probably better at haggling.  _

  


It was late after that, even so, they were invited to stay with the caravan. “That way we can know if this won’t work out”. Lana got up, “you ready to meet the family”.

  


Lana had told them they could just call her that earlier. It was nice, she was friendly for all that it had been a job interview.

  


“Let’s”, Kagura said as she got up. 

  


They waved to Jannet as they left. It was time to meet the family.

  


Gisela blinked, straining her eyes against the fire light of the camp. She saw shapes shifting and moving. 

  


Suddenly she saw two blurs run at Lana. It was just the proximity to the campfire that stopped Gisela from reacting. 

  


_ When did I get so hair trigger?  _ Gisela worried as she watched the women hug the two blurs, which she could now see were the children. 

  


One of them seemed to notice Gisela’s staring, detaching from her mother to stare at her with unblinking brown. “Who’re you”, the kid demanded bluntly.

  


“I’m Gisela, what's your name?”.  _ That was inoffensive enough, right? _

  


“Aki. Why are you here”.

  


“I’m one of the new guards your”, she hesitated for a moment before going on with her assumption, “mother hired us to help”.

  


“How can you fight? Your barely older than me”.  _ Ouch. Kid doesn’t pull her punches.  _ Gisela glanced around looking for help. Lana seemed busy talking to the other girl and Kagura appeared determined to stay out.  _ Traitor.  _

  


“I’m a mage. I use cloud magic”. 

  


“Do you really”. 

  


“Ask your mother”. The second it was out of her mouth Gisela wanted to laugh, it just sounded so stereotypical. 

  


Aki took her up on it. “Mom, can she really fight?”.

  


“Jannet, the innkeeper who we met with a few days ago, remember her? Recommended them to me. I trust Jannet, she has helped us before”.

  


“I miss Laki”. That was the other kid.  _ Whose Laki?  _ Gisela didn’t ask, she didn’t need to make the kid cry.

  


Lana had an expression on her face like this was something that she had dealt with before. Many times. 

  


“Me too”. And that was Aki.  _ Please don’t start crying, please don’t start crying.  _

  


Lana knelt down to the sister’s level. “I miss her too but she needed to help her guild, they were in trouble”.

  


“But we’re her family”, Aiko said plaintively, “you always say that family is the most important thing. Even more than money”. 

  


_ It’s not always like that.  _ Gisela was beginning to feel profoundly uncomfortable. Tears were incoming, she just knew it. 

  


She pushed the rest of her reasons away. 

  


Lana knelt down to the kid’s level, “Laki says Fairy Tail is her family too, right now she is counting on us to be strong. Laki believes in you two so much, you are her precious little cousins after all. Do you want to let her down?”.

  


“No”, they said in synch. 

  


“Good, than let's go introduce the new guards to the everyone”.

  


“Yes mom”, they chorused. 

  


Standing before the group felt a little like standing before a tribunal.  

  


The first one she was formally introduced to was Lucas, Lana’s husband. He, typically, had a solid firm handshake for both of them.

  


After that was Daiki, one of Lana’s younger cousins. He nodded to them when he was called up before going back to reading. 

  


Then came Eiko last, she was the only one without purple hair- part of Gisela wanted to ask. The rest had declared their relations and why they were they. Eiko just said she was the cook. 

  


The night was the first problem. All Gisela had on her was the bag that had been packed when she left. Kagura had more, of course, but Gisela wasn’t exactly prepared for outside camping. 

  


Luckily Kagura and her were able to come up with a plan. The night was mild so Gisela could just borrow gear from her, they would pick up final supplies in the morning. 

  


It was a good plan, Gisela just didn’t like not being prepared. It left a bad taste in her mouth. 

  


She didn’t sleep easily that night. 

  


Thankfully then next morning went as hoped and they were able to get the necessary supplies, Gisela’s pouch that much lighter and her pack that much heavier. 

  


It took a surprising amount of time to get on the road, even if, from what Gisela could tell, much of the packing had been done the night before. 

  


Gisela found herself loading boxes onto one of the two covered wagons that the Oaken Paths caravan used. Lucas, in between boxes and barrels explained to her that this was a shorter caravan than they sometimes did. 

  


He definitely warmed up a little when he saw how much Gisela could carry. That was when Gisela remembered yesterday’s kick. 

  


She felt her magic buzzing under her skin as she lifted a definitely too heavy crate of wood. 

  


Gisela made note of that. 

  


They had just about finished the loading of their cart when Gisela heard the snapping of something. 

  


She was moving before she knew what was going on. 

  


A crate was falling. 

  


Aiko was underneath. 

  


Gisela lashed out, calling her clouds to push the crate away.

  


Time spread up again.

  


Gisela rushed over, “are you okay?”. 

  


Aiko was just staring.  _ Had she been hit? Was I too slow? What happened.  _

  


There was a sharp noise. Aiko launched herself at Gisela. “That was So. Cool!’ 

  


Gisela froze, standing awkwardly.

  


There was a child hugging her. A child.

  


Aiko didn’t seem to care, instead the little girl kept babbling, brown eyes bright. 

  


The noise had brought Lana who ran over, eyes seeing the fallen crate. “What happened!”.

  


Aiko pushed off Gisela running back to hug her mom. “The crate fell and I was there than Gisela was like woosh and the crate fell and it Was So. Cool!”. 

  


Lana looked to Gisela who shrugged helplessly. “I’m glad everything's okay?”. 

  


After that everything else seemed tamer and setting out went fine except for the fact that Aiko kept glancing at her. Gisela wasn’t quite sure why the girl kept staring at her. She hadn’t hurt the girl when she had hit the crate or anything.

  


It kept going through the first day’s journey. Gisela kept most of her attention on the road, watching the rear as Kagura sat up front. 

  


Finally near the end of the second day Gisela started to hear wispers. 

  


“-just tell her”

  


“But if-”

  


“I’m tired of hearing you babble”

  


“But she was-”

  


“-fight”

  


“Are you-”

  


“We’re going”. She was pretty she it was Aki who had said the last thing, the twins had pretty recognizable voices. 

  


The road seemed pretty clear as Gisela turned to see the twins emerge, Aki dragging Aiko.

  


“My sister has a question for you”. Aki’s tone was impressive, it implied that she expected the answer to be yes. 

  


Gisela waited, unsure of if she should prompt it or not. 

  


Aiko fidgeted, Gisela saw Aki squeeze her twin’s hand. 

  


The girl muttered something. “Could you ask louder? I’m sorry but I couldn’t hear you”

  


“Can you teach me magic!”, Aiko shouted.

  


Gisela froze. “You want to learn magic?”

  


“Uh-huh”. 

  


“Why”. The question escaped before Gisela could stop it. 

  


“It’s magic and it's really cool and pretty and... ”, Aiko trailed off before starting again, “I want to protect people too”. 

  


And suddenly Gisela was watching the dancers at the temple, lights flowing around them. Anjay was dancing with the winds and Senya was swirling with water.

  


She was seven years old and someone mentioned Fiore while she was curled up in the corner, having been dragged out of her room and told that she better not go back in. She had wondered about Fiore as she sulked, stuck in the dining room.

  


She was nine years old and just barely willing to leave the house when she saw a mage selling their wares in the market. 

  


That had been when she realized where she was, how she realized where she was. 

  


How she realized that magic was real. 

  


She was ten and in the library, reading feverishly, desperate to know more about the magic that was in this world. A reason to be here and not just to miss Before.

  


She was eleven and a serpent was rearing up and her siblings were in danger  and she couldn’t do anything. Until she could. 

  


Until her magic.

  


She had wanted magic like that once. When had she forgotten how much she loved it?

  


“Go ask your mother”, she said quickly, holding back the tears that were starting to form. 

  


“Everyone always says that”, Aki complained.

  


“There's a reason for that. Ask your mother, I need to watch the back. I was hired to guard this after all”.

  


Gisela heard their footsteps receding as the girls ran back.

  


She felt liquid trail down her cheeks, mixing with the dust kicked up by the passage of the wagons. 

  


She wiped her tears away.  _ Why am I so sad about this? They just asked to learn magic?   _

  


She remembered their faces, the way Aiko had hugged her after the crate. Vaguely she wondered how Gastislion and Maape acted after the serpent.

  


She pushed that thought away, her mind getting pulled to another.  

  


When had she forgotten how much she had wanted to learn magic? 

  


Gisela breathed, calming her emotions. On a whim she summoned a small cloud.

  


It was her magic. Not for any purpose, just her own pleasure. 

  


Just to revel in the fact that she could casually break the laws of nature. 

  


She let it go, focusing back on the road behind them.

  


The rest of the day passed similarly. They didn’t make it to a town that night, apparently the next one was about a day and a half to two days away. Instead they camped again.

  


Eiko made dinner again, Gisela had the feeling that was the woman’s job- she didn’t have a problem with that at all. Eiko was a wonderful cook. What made it hard to eat was the looks she kept getting, both from the twins and from their parents. It put her on edge. Even Daiki glanced at her. 

  


_ Did they actually ask their mom?  _ She hoped not, Gisela could just picture Lana coming over and telling them they were fired, that Gisela was being a bad example and that they needed to leave. Now. 

  


Her belly turned then did another flip. 

  


Her breath felt heavy in her throat. 

  


The pain brought her back. She looked at her hands, at the dark red crescents that she had pressed in to them.

  


_ It will be okay. They were desperate enough to hire us in the first place.  _ And Gisela knew that people had to be desperate to hire two teenage girls to help guard them, recommendations or not. 

  


If they were that desperate than even something like a girl suddenly wanting to learn magic wouldn’t cause such a huge problem.

  


Right?

  


She forced herself to keep breathing as she finished eating. The food tasted like ash on her tongue now. 

  


Kagura glanced at her, Gisela could tell the other girl was worried. Part of Gisela wanted to tell Kagura, they rest of her held back.

  


If she didn’t draw Kagura into this than the other girl might be able to keep her job. Gisela shrugged, trying to convey that she was fine.

  


There was no need to drag her friend down with her. 

  


She was better than that.

  


Finally the moment came. As she put away her plate Lana gestured her over. 

  


Gisela felt like her every step was in concrete as she walked forward, then went to the wagon.

  


Gisela’s heart started to pound wildly in her ears. It was time for the chewing out. 

  


She sat, feeling stiff as a board, waiting for Lana to start. 

  


Gisela couldn’t hear her over the buzzing in her ears. She drove her fingers into her hands, uncaring of if she was pushing too hard. She needed to calm down. “Could you repeat that?”.

  


“They can be rather loud outside”, her boss said kindly. “I just said that I’m sorry if my kids were bothering you. Ever since their cousin Laki started showing her magic on her visits they have been fascinated. I suspect that was why they were so disappointed when Laki didn’t come. She had promised to start showing them the basics”.

  


“You’re not mad?”. Gisela was stuck on that, Lana’s voice repeating.

  


“Why would I be? You saved my daughter's life, or at least prevented her from being severely hurt today when that rope snapped. That is your job. I am just sorry that they will probably be bothering you for magic lessons now. Feel free to say no, they just are fascinated by magic”.

  


“And if I did?”. It was like having a paper cut or a cold sore, one couldn’t help but prode at it.

  


“Than I would thank you for your time and patience and ask you to be careful about it”. 

  


It felt like the world had been flipped over, like everything Gisela had assumed to be true had just been turned on its head.

  


She felt light. They hadn’t lost their jobs because of Gisela. 

  


The crickets chirping sounded like a song. 

  


Kagura was waiting when they walked outside. “What's wrong?”, she demanded. 

  


“Lana just wanted to talk to me about the twins and magic. They saw me use my clouds earlier and they wanted to learn”.

  


“Speaking of that, we do need to work more on your physical combat. You did okay against those run of the mill thugs but you need more practice”.

  


The conversation earlier made Gisela feel braver, “you need more practice with your magic too”. A question occurred to Gisela, “how did you even find your magic?”.

  


A flash of something passed through Kagura’s eyes. “It was an accident. You have first watch”.

  


It was hard to just focus on the world when Gisela’s mind just wanted to race. 

  


She ended up using the shadows to help her focus. Finally her watch was over, she tapped Lucas on the shoulder to wake him up before heading to her own bedroll.

  


Sleep eluded her. 

  


The panic had left her feeling shaking and with nothing else to occupy her mind it rose to the front.

  


When she had checked her hands earlier there were bloody crescents on them, the result of her squeezing so tightly.

  


_ Lana didn’t get mad at me. She didn’t even act like it was that big of a deal.  _ Still, that left her with another question, what would she do when the twins asked again?

  


She turned, wincing as a stick dug into her side.

  


_ I need to sleep. I’ll worry about it later.  _

  


Even so, her dreams were uneasy.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This will be on hiatus for two week, I have a trip and won't have time to write. Just wanted to let my (maybe existant?) readers know.

Gisela woke up the next morning feeling… off. It wasn’t something she could really pin point to one body part or emotion, just the general feeling that her world had turned ninety degrees to the left and three in the z direction. Whatever that was. 

 

She tried to ignore it as she helped Kagura and the rest pack up from the night. 

 

“Are you okay?”, Kagura asked quietly as she rolled up her sleeping bag. “You were overwhelmed last night”.

 

“I’m fine”, Gisela repiled, detmindly cheerful. “I was just a bit tired last night. I am doing better now that I have had some sleep”.

 

Kagura nodded and left to help take care of the two horses. Gisela considered following her but decided against it.

 

It wasn’t like she had any special knowledge of the animals, she would probably just get in the way.

 

Finally they were off. 

 

She also tried to ignore it on the road, yet again taking up the rear. She kept and ear out for the twins, wondering if they would come and talk to her again. 

 

She wasn’t quite sure how she felt when she didn’t hear them approach.  _ It could have been just a fancy, not every kid is like you,  _ she reminded herself, not sure if it was supposed to be consoling or reassuring. 

 

It was good through, not every kid would just ignore people, would shut them out and mess up and…

 

She pushed her mind back to the road. She had a job to do and it wasn’t stewing in guilt or thinking about all the things that she could have done better, that she could have fixed if only she was faster, smarter, more skilled with magic. 

 

The road behind them changed bit by bit as the morning drew on. 

 

Then they stopped for lunch. Yesterday they had been to rushed, they had wanted to make distance.

 

Apparently the caravan had done this trip so much that they had a favorite resting spot. 

 

Daiki, she was pretty sure he was Lana’s cousin, was showing Aiko and Aki around. 

 

Gisela leaned against a tree, she could feel through rough bark through the fabric of her chition.  _ I should look into warmer clothes.  _ It was getting rather cold to be in just the chiton. Her magic made it harder for her to be cold, an advantage of having clouds as her affinity,  but it could still happen.

 

She was glad about the boots, they helped as well. 

 

Gisela heard a noise in the bush, she craned her head to see what it was.

 

_ Probably just an animal, who knows what lives in this wood.  _ Looking around through the tough, weedy underbrush Gisela didn’t see anything.

 

She didn’t feel any magic either, so she doubted that there was a concealing spell in use.

 

Besides, Kagura had this shift. She could relax now. 

 

Meditating was as soothing as always, she floated in her state, halfway conscious and messing with her power, seeing if she could get her cloud armor idea to work, when she felt something.

 

It pulled her a little out of her trance.

 

There it was again.

 

A little father.

 

And again.

 

She opened her eyes.

 

Two sets of brown eyes stared back at her curiously. They were way too close to her face.

 

Gisela jolted, feeling her head impact on the tree behind her. It shook ominously. Her head barely hurt. Brown eyes and annoyed faces danced in her memory as she blinked the spots away. 

 

Different brown eyes than the ones that she had just seen. 

 

A  gentle rain of leaves fell down, she ignored the two faces to watch the brown leaves spiral to the ground. 

 

It was kind of cool to see how many were on the trees, just not falling off.  _ Until my head hit it...opps.  _

 

The kids were still staring at her.

 

Maybe if she ignored them than they would just go away?

 

_ Nope _ . Aki poked her again. This time Gisela was fast enough to grab the girl’s hand before it impacted.

 

“Was that necessary?”, she asked, raising an eyebrow in an attempt to make an unimpressed face.

 

“We tried to talk to you but you weren’t responding”, Aki explained petulantly as she withdrew her poking finger. Gisela hadn’t grabbed it that hard, just blocked it from impacting her. 

 

“You did?”. 

 

“Yeah”

 

“We wanted to talk to you-”

 

“-but mom said not to disturb you while on duty again-”

 

“-so we waited for the break-”

 

“And after Daiki showed us around this spot cause it is really cool-”

 

“we wanted to talk to you-”

 

“-but you did your zone out thing”

 

“-Kagura called it mediation-”

 

“-and when we tried you wouldn’t respond”

 

“So we talked to Kagura-”

 

“-and she said to poke you”. They looked so happy when they said that. Like they had just found a problem and solved it all on their own. 

 

“So we did”, they said that part together. Gisela glanced at Kagura out of the corner of her eye, the traitor had left her to deal with the kids on her own. Didn’t she know that Gisela was awful with kids?

 

Poke. 

 

Aki had poked her again, “don’t zone out, we have a question for you”. 

 

The girl had the nerve to say it reproachfully. Gisela had half a mind to say no to whatever they asked on principal.

 

It would serve them right for poking her.

 

An image flashed out of the box, Gisela shoved it back in.  _ I can at least hear them out. Ignoring Children isn’t the right thing to do. _

 

“What is your question than?”. There. They wouldn’t be annoyed by that. Right? 

 

“Teach us magic. You said yesterday that if we asked mom than you would teach us and we saw you talking to mom last night and since Laki couldn't come and teach us and we still want to learn it is your job”, Aki demanded.

 

“Please”, Aiko chimed in. 

 

_ Their reasoning is very convoluted.  _ “I’m pretty sure I didn’t say that I would”, Gisela couldn’t help but point out.

 

Aki glared at her, “so, it was implied”. 

 

In a few years the look on Aki’s face might be scary, right now what moved Gisela more was Aiko’s eyes.

 

They looked like hers. That made Gisela take a second look at Aki.  _ I can’t say that kids can’t learn magic, almost everyone in Fairy Tail used magic young.  _ It would be so much easier to say, “no” and just ignore them.

 

It would only take one word. One quick word and she wouldn’t have to worry about hurting them or being a bad influence or teaching them badly or failing or messing up or not knowing enough or…

 

But.

 

But there was one problem with that idea.  Gisela remembered the library, remembered Ms.  Hytica who had put up with a little girl running around asking about gods and magic- even when it was well, magic. 

 

More than that, she remembered wanting it so badly. Remembering clinging to it when she had needed a reason. These kids weren’t here, would never be her.

 

But.

 

Gisela opened her mouth to say no, what came out was, “let me explain”. She could give them more facts first, let them decide. Besides, this way she could always back out.

 

The two girls let out an ear shattering cheer. Gisela saw everyone else look over from what they were doing briefly to see what caused it.

 

They then looked away,  _ traitors.  _ “It’s not all clouds and strength. Magic isn’t as easy as this”, she called up a cloud to demonstrate,”it takes hard work and persistence to be able to even start with magic”.

 

“But you did it”, Aki pointed out while Aiko nodded vigorously.

 

_ Thank you for the vote of confidence,  _ Gisela snarked mentally. Outside she just said, “yes, but it did take me awhile. I did materialize my”, she stopped, about to say gift, “magic for around a year after I started trying. Even if I show you how to meditate it will not come immediately, it’s not like baking a cake, it’s more like growing a flower”.

 

“What does cake have to do with magic?”, Aiko asked, seemingly missing the point of the metaphor. 

 

_ I can’t tell if she is trolling me or not.  _ Gisela’s second childhood had taught her never to underestimate children, being one again had reminded her of how much most of them were able to get away with. 

 

If it wasn’t so scary it would be impressive.

 

“I was more trying to say that magic takes time to find and use and that even if I show you the basics it could be years until your magic actually manifests itself”. There was a reason that there hadn’t been to many children at the temple, even though it was one of the bigger ones.  

 

Childhood magic, even though it seemed pretty common in the show from what Gisela could recall, was actually pretty rare. What was more likely was teenagers.

 

“But you said it only took you a year”, Aki pointed out accusingly.

 

_ Kid doesn’t miss a beat.  _ “Yes but I had”, Gisela paused, trying to think of a way to talk about the terror of the serpent attack, the way it had come down on her siblings and she had needed to do something, anything to stop it. “Special circumstances”, she settled on in the end. 

 

“If they happened to you why won’t they happen to us?”, Aiko asked, almost politely. There still was a hint of a demand in there.  _ I thought you were the nice one. _

 

“You don’t want them to, my magic manifested because I was in danger, if that happens to you two than it means that Kagura and I were not doing our jobs correctly. So do you want to get started now?”.  _ Anything to get out of this conversation.  _

 

“So you will teach us magic”. Aki smirked as Aiko started a victory dance.

 

_ Shit. I just agreed. They win.  _ “I will start to teach you magic, I can give no guarantees about if you will actually be able to find your magic. Now do you two want to sit down, my neck is sore from looking up”.

 

They sat, looking for all the world like little angels, not demons who had just tricked Gisela into agreeing to magic lessons. 

 

Gisela still wasn’t quite sure why they wanted to learn magic in the first place. She supposed it would be helpful for the family job. 

 

_ How do I put this? _

 

She took a breath, “you know how there is dust in the air and you can see it in sunbeams, right?”.

 

Both of them nodded. 

 

“There are these particles, called ethernanos, in the air as well. They are the power that magic runs on”, she was tempted to go into the history she had learned at the temple, tempted to talk about Qosasis’s gift and how it belonged to everyone. 

 

She stopped herself. This wasn’t the temple, she didn’t even know if it was true. They wouldn’t hav-

 

She put that thought back into its box. She had agreed to teach these kids, not go back in to what could have been.

 

“And”. Gisela had a feeling that Aki would be tapping her feet with a hand on her hip if she was standing. That girl was impatient.

 

“And these particles are the basis of magic. Mages absorb them through their bodies into the origin”, she liked that word in fioran, it was pretty, “in order to use magic. Once in the mages boby the ethernanos are converted and released as the mages form of magic based on their own affinities and styles”. 

 

Gisela breathed, calling her clouds, “this is how I convert ethernanos, I am a cloud mage”.

 

“And Laki is a wood mage”, Aiko said excitedly before changing back to her goal. “So how to we use our ethnanosnthgys? And is there a way to know what magic you will have?”.

 

Gisela grinned.  _ Payback time.  _ “The word is ethernanos. As for knowing magic, affinities can be passed down in families or taught in styles based around creating an affinity. A ice mage might spend a lot of time in the snow, a wood mage might work with wood.”

 

“So we are going to be wood mages?”, Aki asked. 

 

“It is possible, you mentioned that Laki was a wood mage. Magic affinities can run in families”, Gisela paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, ”The way I learned to access my magic and gain control of the transformation was through meditation. If you wish to learn from me than that is how I know how to teach it”.

 

So maybe it was a little less pay back for the way they had tricked her than Gisela had hoped. She had forgotten that she was the one who had to be in charge of helping them to meditate. 

 

And thus the one in charge of fielding the endless barrage of questions that came at her. 

 

And of getting to excited ten year old twins to sit still long enough to listen. Gisela was pretty sure she had seen some of the other members laughing at her and her suffering.

 

_ I wasn’t like this,  _ Gisela thought bitterly as she watched them try to breath with the rhythm for the nth time. 

 

She had looked to Kagura for help earlier, the other girl had just shrugged. 

 

Gisela was tempted to press but…  but she didn’t know how Kagura had first felt her magic, when she had first converted ethernanos into power and bent the laws of the universe.

 

She didn’t want to bring up bad memories. 

 

And so for her kindness she was stuck babysitting kids. During her break. She was beginning to see why Kagura was taking so many shifts, it was a way out of this.

 

Finally the two hours were over as Gisela saw Eiko get up to start packing. She should probably help with that. “That’s all for now, if you want to you try to meditate cartside”.

 

“Finally”, Aki exclaimed, springing up from where she had been sitting crossed legged. “I thought it would never end”.

 

“You don’t have to keep doing it. You don’t need to learn magic”.

 

“Aiko’s doing it”. Aki said stubbornly, “besides, I want to learn how to fight”. 

 

Apparently that was that. And apparently Aiko decided to tackle hug her sister at that, sending them both crashing back into the dirt and fallen leaves. 

 

Oh well. It wasn’t Gisela’s problem.  It was good to be back on shift, at least in that regard. Someone else could deal with the twins for a bit. 

 

Once they were back on the road Gisela was just feeling better in general, of course that meant her brain had to go back to the night before and the way Gisela had found herself in a blind panic.

 

Again. 

 

_ I need to remember, Fiore isn’t Caelum, they see magic differently here.  _ Maybe if she told herself that enough than she would actually believe it in heart heart. 

 

She turned her head back to the trail behind, watching.  __

 

A few hours passed, Gisela had started to wonder why they even needed guards, it wasn’t like they had encountered anything.  

 

There hadn’t even been any wild animals, the only thing of note had been the crate falling on the first day.

 

Now it was just watching the road fade behind them and, in Gisela’s case, dealing with children.

 

_ Next time I am making them Kagura’s job.  _

 

It was about thirty minutes after her resolution that she noticed something. It was winter, yes, so it wasn’t like there were that many animals about. Even so, it seemed oddly silent. 

 

The smell was the other thing, as the wind shifted Gisela’s noise picked up something oddly… sulfurous.

 

It was like someone farted. 

 

The caravan stopped. Gisela jumped off the back and edged to the side, making sure most of her body was shielded.

 

She didn’t see anything unusual in front of her.

 

Why had they stopped? 

 

She heard footsteps. Gisela turned, cloud in hand.  

 

It was Eiko. 

 

“What’s going on? Did something break down?”.

 

“Have you noticed the smell?”.

 

Gisela blinked at the non sequitur. “Yes, why?”.

 

“That's the problem”. 

 

“Why?”. 

 

Eiko took out a news paper, “Notorious gang escaped. The Jiggle Butts On the Loose”.

 

The picture was of three very large butts, it was almost hard to notice the people attracted to said posteriors. It was one of the more… interesting things that she had seen since coming to Fiore. 

 

Gisela tried very hard not to sinicker. From the look on Eiko’s face she wasn’t sure it worked.

 

“It’s not a laughing matter. It’s why we hired you two along”.

 

The guilt sobered her, Gisela took in a deep breath, “I’m sorry. I just hadn’t heard of them before and the name is a bit…”. Gisela trailed off, not sure how to adequately describe her reaction to the name. 

 

Eiko defrosted a bit, “I know. Just don’t underestimate them. I was told to bring you up front, from what we know they are going to act head on”.

 

“If they are here”. Gisela pointed out, trying to be hopeful.

 

“I don’t think we would be smelling sulfur if they weren’t. Apparently that’s one of their warning signs. I’ve traveled this path before, we don’t ever smell sulfur”.

 

“Isn’t there a guild nearby?”. Gisela was pretty sure she had seen the markings on the map.

 

“It’s about a day away, that's plenty of time out here”. Eiko appeared to lose patience with Gisela’s questions, “now go”.

 

She went. Gisela knew better than to argue with a voice like that. 

 

Kagura nodded as Gisela jumped up next to here, they continued on. Not speaking, just watching the road up ahead as Lana kept the horses under control.

 

The smell got worse. Gisela was pretty sure she saw what plants were left in winter wilting on the sides of the roads.

 

That just made her more nervous. It had been easy to be amused by the picture when she was in the back.

 

Now…

 

Now nerves were starting to kick in.

 

The blur of black caught her eyes just as Lana pulled on the reins. 

 

They were here. 


	26. Chapter 26

_ They're here,  _ the thought set adrenaline singing through her veins. 

 

The sulfurous cloud engulfed them in moments, there wasn’t time to react. 

 

It burned. 

 

It felt like her face was on fire, her nose, her eyes burned and blurred before darkness.

 

Had she closed them?

 

She wanted away.

 

_ Everyone!  _

 

Gisela forced her eyes open.

 

Everything was blurred. Tears. 

 

Something impacted her side. Sharp pain radiated out. 

 

Gisela lashed out blinding. She need to recover. It felt like something was blurring. 

 

She dashed her hand across her eyes. The tears cleared a little.  The was a clear space around her. 

 

She could feel the magic. The realization hit her like a lighting bolt.  _ These are clouds.  _

 

It was harder than controlling her own clouds, but they were clouds. Even if they were clouds of fart. 

 

_ You. Are. Mine!  _

 

She forced them away, revealing the caravan- it still looked intact and movement in the corner of her eye.

 

Gisela spun, dodging out of the way of the second kick, her side aching. “Kagura”. She had no more breath after that. 

 

His butt was to her again. 

 

This time she had a plan. 

 

The second she felt the cloud leave his control she took it to hers. Not allowing it to move. Gas did interesting things when it was charged. 

 

The bang shook the trees, sending a stream of sulfurous air off to the side. Gisela ducked out of the foul beam.

 

The guy rocketed into a tree hard enough that the tree fell down. The sulfur swirled around, slowly diluting into the air. 

 

Gisela still smelled it. She tried to breathe shallowly, limiting her noses exposure to the unpleasant air. 

 

_ Whose idea had been fart magic and why had it been allowed? _

 

Then she got back to work, trying to figure out what to do.

 

Gisela hesitated for a moment.  _ Should I check on them.  _ She didn’t know where Kagura was, didn’t know if everyone was okay.

 

She needed to help. 

 

_ Looks like my magic is good at something.  _ Gisela thought wildly as she moved, heart thudding in her ears.

 

This was real.

 

_ There!  _

 

It almost looked like a dance, one guy would pause, trying to charge up while the other one went at Kagura.

 

Someone would slam to the ground, just not hard enough. 

 

_ Don’t mess with a good thing?  _ Gisela was about to interfere when a beam of light shot out of the bushes, hitting the sitting duck. 

 

It wasn’t her light. 

 

It wasn’t Kagura’s either.

 

Her forearms started to itch. A reminder of the last light mage she had fought. 

 

“Come out”, Kagura ordered harshly, her sword held at the ready.

 

“We come in peace”, a calm voice called out. Looking in the direction of the voice Gisela could see a figure coming. 

 

Two figures. 

 

“Is everyone alright?”, the other one called. 

 

“We’re fine”, Kagura snapped back. Distantly Gisela noticed that Kagura was favoring her right side a bit. 

 

Gisela hoped Kagura was okay. She watched the two women carefully, magic ready for action. 

 

They had helped against the Jiggle Butt Gang. 

 

That didn’t make them safe. 

 

“Celia”, Gisela carefully didn’t whorl back at Lana’s high, nasally voice. 

“Lana”, the first voice called, “we were wondering when your caravan was going to get here. I assume those two ready to fight us are your guards”.

 

“Exactly, glad you could make it”. Glancing back Gisela could see Lana covering her nose. She sympathized. 

 

Her clouds had dispersed most of the stink but most wasn’t all. 

 

Gisela took Kagura sheathing her sword as a cue to release her own magic. Her legs felt oldly shaky. 

 

She wouldn’t let herself collapse, not now. 

 

“Good work”, Kagura said quietly. 

 

“You too”. She hoped Kagura would take it for what is was. Even so, the battle ending reminded her of her unfinished business. “What do we do with the gang?”. She really didn’t know, the one guy was knocked out, she could see the bark patterns on his face and he seemed non reactive. 

 

“This is the last one” 

 

“Drag him over”, one of the two women, Gisela was pretty sure she was the light mage, called, “we can get the rune knights to pick them up”.

 

“Kay”. It was either said than done, excluding the… large posterior the Jiggle Butt was a large man and she was a fifteen year old, magic user or not. 

 

Magic user. Gisela could have smacked herself.  _ Do I really want to pollute my clouds like this? _

 

She huffed, trying to control the coughing that came with the sulfur.  _ Bad idea. Just get this over with.  _

 

Carefully she wrapped the man in clouds, dropping him off with the other two.

 

Everyone had congregated in a group.

 

“Coming through”, she warned, guiding her burden. A thought struck her, “is that everyone? Or are there more to the Jiggle Butt gang”. She hoped not, that would suck.

 

“I think so”, the second women offered. Really, she was more of a girl a little more than Gisela’s apparent age. “I really don’t want to deal with the smell, you want some perfume? I grabbed some when I heard we were going after them”.

 

“That was a good thought”.

 

“I know. I’m Aira by the way. Here ya go”.

 

“Thanks”. Gisela caught the bottle. 

 

It wasn’t a bottle. 

 

It was a lacrima? 

 

“You channel your magic thought it”. 

 

Gisela flushed. Was it that obvious? 

 

She reached, not for the clouds that she was so used to but for her raw magic. It lept at her command, so different from when she first called it. 

 

The air was filled with a strong sense of roses. Normally Gisela wasn’t so fond of overflowing flower scents but in this case she would take it and take it happily.

 

“Good idea”. The older women smiled at both of them. “That was nice work with the cloud magic”, she looked at Kagura, “are you a mage too?”.

 

“Gravity”. 

 

“Would you consider working with us sometime? I have heard that gravity and light have very interesting interactions”.

 

“Maybe. You work in magi-science?”

 

“I dabble”.

 

“Celia’s awesome!”, Aira cheered brightly, “she even got to work on the new light pens, they stay for much longer now and have some super cool functions”. 

 

Ceila shrugged modestly. “I have sent word to the knights, all we can do is keep watch now”. She switched her attention back to Kagura, “please consider our request”.

 

Kagura nodded, the conversation paused for a moment before she asked, “are you two part of a guild”.

 

“We’re part of Unicorns Mane. The best guild in these parts”, Aira said firmly. Now that Gisela was looking she could see a yellow mark like a lock of hair wrapped around the girl’s wrist.  

 

She could tell from Aira’s tone that the girl was just daring them to say anything bad about her guild. Gisela glanced at Celia. The women just smiled. 

 

Gisela didn’t feel like getting into a fight, even if she had had points to argue. There was nothing she could say.

 

All they could do was watch the bodies and wait.

 

They then proceeded to stand around awkwardly staring at a bunch of beaten, passed out guys. Well, Lana was doing fine- as were they twins who had apparently met these people before.

 

Gisela on the other hand hadn’t. And that meant it was awkward. 

 

So she started for watching. “That one’s twitching”. She pointed out the one that Celia had his, the guys hair was still smoking.

 

Celia looked over, “good catch”. 

 

Gisela braced herself, wondering how the older women would react. 

 

She slapped a piece of paper on the Jiggle Butt. Then she slapped on on the other two. Afterwards she shook out her hand. “Remind me to wash this, I really don’t want to know where they’ve been”.

 

“Are you sure?”, Aira asked. Gisela could hear the teasing note in her voice. What was Aira doing?

 

Ceila just rolled her eyes. “Don’t test me”, she warned.

 

“Fine”, Aira replied, drawing out the word like she was a child. 

 

Thankfully she stopped after that, Gisela felt herself relax. She didn’t know what she would have done if they started fighting. 

 

She needed a distraction, “what were those papers?”, she questions, genturing to the scrapes. 

 

“Sleep runes, they don’t work so well when the mage is awake and can resist but they come in handy afterwards.”

 

“Cool”. 

 

It was back to silence. Gisela saw Aki creeping over, she shook her head quietly. 

Aki just smirked. Gisela was debating what to do when she saw the people on the horizon. She was about to call up her magic when she heard Ceila, “took you guys long enough, we were getting bored over here”.

 

A group of Rune Knights came tromping down the road, their white robes dusty. “It's not our fault you decided to go through the brush”, one of them called out. He was quickly silenced by the man in the lead.

 

“These are the Jiggle Butts?”, he asked.

 

“Can’t you tell from the smell”, Aira asked snarkily. Gisela found herself wincing again, she really didn’t want Aira to get in trouble. 

 

The Rune Knight in charge seemed to sigh. “Load them into the carriage”, he ordered.

 

Gisela moved out of the way to let the other Rune Knights pick up the passed out gang members. Part of her was amused that the guy in charge was not helping. Lucky him.

 

“Let me guess,” Aira said, “you are now going to head off without paying us for our work”. 

 

“Aira”, Ceila gasped, stepping in front of her. “I am sorry for my guild members rudeness, please accept her apology”. 

 

Aira huffed, rolling her eye catching golden eyes. “I’m sorry”, she said. 

 

Gisela watched the Knight warily. Aira shouldn’t have said that, it didn’t mean that she trusted the Knight’s reaction.

 

“It’s fine, I know children often speak out of turn”. 

 

Ouch. Gisela saw the look that passed between the two guild mages. Thankfully Aira didn’t say anything else.

 

After that Gisela was just glad to see the Knights move out, heading back to the nearest outpost to procese the gang. 

 

It was all she could do to keep her sigh of relief inaudible. She didn’t want to let on how stressful that whole thing had been.

 

Time moved oddly after that as they got back into the carriage. Gisela went back to her seat in the back.

 

This time she couldn't zone out. Even through logicly after a fight with a mage gang the odds of another was much lower she still felt her nerves vibrating like the strings on a guitar.

 

Even so through all that there was a tiny bit of pride. This time she hadn’t frozen up. 

 

They had lost time to the bandit raid but thankfully Pansy Town, the name that somebody had finally mentioned, was near enough. 

 

Aiko and Aki had come by, begging for stories. Gisela had tried to make it sound interesting, it was hard. 

 

The fight had just been a blur of stink and trying desperately for a plan. She was lucky that their magics interacted the way that they did. 

 

Even through Gisela loved her clouds she sometimes wished she had a magic better for offense somehow. 

 

Finally after around an hour they kids got bored and ran off to bother someone else. 

 

“Don’t forget to meditate”, Gisela called afterthem. If they wanted to learn magic they were going to have to learn.

 

Sunset streaked across the sky, Gisela wondered if they were going to call a halt. 

 

They didn’t.

 

As it got dark Ceila called up ribbons of light that streamed around the carriage, Aira joining her, multicolored sprays and pure golden light.

 

It was beautiful. 

 

It also pulled Gisela back into her thoughts about wishing her magic was stronger. She remembered Kagura mentioning something weird about light magic before.  

 

_ Maybe I should ask.  _ Ceila had been nice so far and she seemed willing to experiment with how magics interacted. 

 

That was a point of leverage. IF Celia wanted to learn more about magic then it could be something to look into and not just Gisela bothering an adult who didn’t want anything to do with her. 

 

It was worth a shot. Hopefully Gisela didn’t mess it up and ruin Lana and the rest of the caravan’s relationship with the guild. 

 

_ It will be okay.  _ She told herself, trying to keep calm. She had already had one irrational freak out, she didn’t need another.

 

The town was just a little farther up. It was odd, the day had left her kind of… floaty. 

 

_ Less than six hours ago I was fighting a gang.  _ She had to hold back the giggles, somehow it was just so funny. The pain, the fear, the everything. It was so distant.

 

Finally they got set up for the night.

 

Peaking through the back of the wagon Gisela saw Aki and Aiko curled up and fast asleep. She pulled back. 

 

The night passed similarly, they had been put up behind the guild, just camping out like they had for the rest of the time. 

 

She slept fitfully.

 

Gisela shivered in the early morning light. It had been chilly in Clover Town but the higher up they went, was that the term for it? Gisela really didn’t know, the colder it got. Just because her magic made it easy for her to weather didn’t mean it was nice.

 

_ Maybe I should change clothes… _

 

Gisela still didn’t want to. She sat, waiting until everyone had woken up. When she asked what the plan for the day was it turned out they were staying the day.

 

Apparently Lana had talked to Celia and she had some clients in Pansy Town she wanted to reconnect with.

 

Gisela and Kagura also had a free day. 

 

“I’m going to the guild. I want to know if they know anything about the tower”, Kagura said abruptly, as was her style. “Do you want to come to?”

 

Gisela felt unexpected warmth gather in her stomach, it was nice to be thought off. “I would like that. Do you think Celia would see if her magic interacts with mine. I remember you mentioned something about that”.

 

“It is likely, she seemed interested how magics interact. I might do some testing of my own”.

 

“It would be good, gravity is kind of screwy”. Gisela really didn’t know any other way to describe it. 

 

Luckily there was no need to search for the guild, they were right behind it after all. The whole place seemed to shimmer in the morning light.

 

_ This is definitely a light mage guild.  _ Gisela found herself thinking.  _ It looks really different from the temple.  _ She hadn’t said her prayers since she left, not really. She wasn’t sure if she was allowed… or even if she wanted too. 

 

_ I’ll deal with that later.  _

 

There was a man cleaning the bar, he looked up as they entered, seemingly alerted by an unseen alarm.

 

“Can I help you?”, he asked briskly, “I’m pretty sure it's too early for a drink- especially for ladies as lovely as you two are”.

 

There was a lump in Gisela’s throat, she wasn’t quite sure why but she just didn’t want to take. 

 

“We are looking for Celia?”.

 

That seemed to get his attention. “What do you two need with the guild master”.

 

“We came in with the caravan last night, she said that we should talk to her”. 

 

“Your names are…”

 

“Gisela and Kagura”. 

 

“Right then, I’ll go see if she’s awake”.

 

Once he was gone up the stairs Gisela glanced around. The room was, unsurprisingly, well lit. There was no one else currently in- something that Gisela was grateful for, and she could see the board in the corner with job posting. 

 

She was just debating if she should go over and look at it when Celia came back in. “I must admit, when I invited you two to come talk to us I didn’t expect it to be quite so early”.

 

“Sorry”, Gisela said, right as Kagura spoke.

 

“We figured that we had a lot to do before the caravan left and wanted to make sure that we had time to do it”.

 

“It’s fine”, Celia said with a relaxed shrug. “Aira will be sad if she misses you two. She’s the youngest mage here and was rather excited to see people her own age around”. 

 

“Hopefully she will come in”, Gisela debated with herself for a second before asking her question, “I didn’t know you were the guild master, how many people are in this guild?”.

 

Celia shrugged, “including Grant”, she said gesturing to the bar keep, “we have ten people”.

 

“Is that small for a guild?”. Fairy Tail was much bigger than that- Gisela knew that much for sure.

 

“We’re not a huge guild, we used to work with another guild, Cait Shelter, but they shut down recently. We have been a little strapped with just us but we make do. It’s why I was out yesterday. We wanted to make sure that the Giggle Butts didn’t get a hand hold here. Gangs are always more of a pain in the neck when they do”. She paused for a moment, “anyways, what can I do for you two”.

 

“I was wondering if you know anything about the Tower of Heaven”, Kagura asked bluntly. “I’m looking for someone, his name is Simon and he is my brother”. 

 

Celia’s face fell, “I’m sorry, all I know is what was in the news paper, is there anything else that I can help with”.

 

Gisela could just make out the disappointment in Kagura’s face. She wanted to hug the other girl or comfort her or something but the words would come out. All she could do was stand there. “You mentioned something about magic testing”, she said, trying to change the subject. 

 

That was something that she could do. She was good at evasion.  

 

Celia light up. Literally. It burned at Gisela’s eyes. “Too bright”, she whimpered as she felt the tears leaking out of them for the second time in less than twenty four hours. 

 

Gisela had the feeling that she would regret this. 

 

Seven hours later of experimentation she was right. 

 

Gisela had lost another chition to magic burn and even Kagura’s pristine clothes were looking ashy. 

 

Ceila had run them hard, it had only double when Aira had made it down later.

 

They both looked very scorched. 

 

On the other hand Gisela had learned something valuable about her magic. Clouds could absorb things like beams of light.

 

Somehow. 

 

Something about how the idea of a cloud was absorption and how this meant that instead of water her magic clouds could absorb magic. 

 

It was actually pretty cool. 

 

Celia thought so at least. The women had immediately started seemin just how much Gisela could take- thus leading to the scorch marks all over everything.

 

Rebounds sucked. So much. 

 

Finally Gisela dropped, she felt thin and scraped, worked to the bone by Celia. 

 

She felt something poking her. She turned over, shifting her hand from where it covered her eyes. 

 

It was Aki. 

 

“Ask Celia”, she said before turning back over. 

 

She didn’t have to help pack for an hour. She could nap now. 

 

In the background she heard someone laughing. 

  
  
  
  
  



	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hope this came out right

Leaving was a relief. It had been interesting in Pansy Town but getting away from Celia’s experiments and tests was a relief.

 

On one hand Gisela was in awe of just how much the Guild Master had known.

 

On the other she was sore and tired and didn’t ever want to see that spark in anyone’s eyes ever again. 

 

Her entire body had been worked. 

 

She hadn’t quite felt this bad since she had started magic in the first place. 

 

_ Never again.  _

 

Even so, she had learned some useful thing about her clouds- that was good. The more useful she was the better. 

 

Gisela focused on the road, it was nice that they had had a rest. Otherwise she couldn’t have done it at all.

 

Vaguely she wondered what Aki and Aiko had wanted to say to her. She was pretty sure they had been working with Aira.

 

Maybe.

 

It had been hard sometimes for Gisela to keep meditating, she wasn’t sure if she would have done it as a kid (a real kid, not the fake sort of kid just trying and never quite getting it right, to smart and to cold and to awkward and just not really a kid. To other to be a real kid).

 

She pushed that thought back, imaging the cramps that they had at first was better.

 

Focusing on the road was the best through.

 

It was impressive how much colder it was getting up here. There had been snow as they were leaving Pansy Town and now the ground was slightly covered. Even the beaten, dirt path. 

 

Her heart stuck in her throat for a second, remembering the crisp lines of Before. The way the snow had looked outside the window of the small balcony on her house. 

 

How long had it been since she had seen snow?

 

There hadn’t been snow in Caelum. Rain yes, but it had never gotten quite cold enough for snow.

 

Tears stung in her eyes.

_ Why do I have to think about that now?  _

 

It really wasn’t the time for that. 

 

Finally the day was over. 

 

The numbness from the snow had lingered, even as the snow itself had melted away. She was borrowing one of the caravans jackets- Eiko had handed it to her at lunch with a disgusted expression on her face.

 

It had been nice to have been thought of. 

 

She had offered to help Eiko with the cooking in return but the women had shooed her off, saying that she could handle it herself.

 

Thus Gisela was up to loose ends. 

 

She was just trying to get a nice meditation in- it was weird not mediating as much as she used too, when she felt a poke.

 

She purposefully kept herself steady- Gisela had a very clear idea who it was this time. 

 

_ And correct.  _

 

Standing in front of her, still way to close, were Aiko and Aki. And they had questions- Gisela was sure of it. 

 

“Did you lie”. Aki demanded accusingly.

 

“What?”. Gisela sorted through her interactions with the twins, trying to figure out what she had said. 

 

“You said that we had to wait for magic and meditate. Aira told us that she just got it one day”

 

“Uh-hu”, Aiko echoed. “You just don’t want to teach us”.

 

Gisela wasn’t sure what to say, it wasn’t quite untrue that she didn’t want students- she as no where near a master of magic after all, but she hadn’t lied to them. “What else did Aira say?”. Maybe she could sort this out.

 

“We were watching you will Guild Master Celia”, and Aiko said that like she had been coached to call the women that, “when Aira asked us if we wanted to learn magic. We told her. Then she laughed. But you said it took a while and you had to sit and wait and meditate for the etherthings. Did you lie?”.

 

Oh. It was just culture, Gisela could deal with that. “No. You know I come from Caelum, right”.

 

“What does that have to do with anything?”

 

“It means that Aira and me did not learn magic in the same place”.

 

“It’s all magic, right?”, Aiko asked.

 

Gisela wasn’t sure how to explain this. She had to try. “Magic is magic yes, but people reach it in different ways. I meditated and practiced according to how I was taught. Aira does the same- she was just taught in a different way”.

 

Aki brightened. “Sort of like there are different ways of traveling, we take different routes but get to the same place”. 

 

Gisela latched on to the metaphor- they were always hit or miss with kids. “Yes, like that”.  _ Crisis averted.  _

 

She glanced at Aiko. The other girl wasn’t convinced. “So all you did was meditate, nothing else?”. 

 

Gisela hated lying to children. Still… she was about to say that meditating was all that she had done when-

 

“Mom says lying is bad and that you go into time out”

 

“-and that you don’t get desert”. 

 

_ Children are perceptive.  _ “Okay, there was one other thing”.

 

“Tell us”.

 

“Please”.

 

Gisela wasn’t getting out of it. “I was on a boat and a monster attacked”. There that would be enough for them, right?

 

It wasn’t.

“Did you fight it and-”

 

“Send it rocketing into the trees”.

 

“There are no trees on the water-”

 

“Than into the stick thing-”

 

“I think it's called a mast.”

 

“Then did you send into a mast?”. They both turned to her expectantly. 

 

She wasn’t getting out of this, was she? And where were they getting the idea that she had sent things flying into the mast?

 

“It didn’t happen like that”.

 

“Than how did it happen”, Aki demanded, stamping her foot imperiously a queen in the forest. 

 

“I was on a boat and we didn’t think sea monster season was soon- kind of how the big monsters are hibernating now, and then we were wrong and one was attacking and it was going to hurt my siblings. I couldn’t let it”, the image flashed across her mind as she spoke, trying to grasp those moments of fear and terrors and pure determination.

 

“So you have to fight to get you magic”.

 

“Not necessarily”.

 

“You did”.

 

“I just didn’t want it to hurt my siblings. I think it was the wanting more than anything. You just have to want it enough”.

 

“You have siblings?”. Gisela blinked at Aiko’s change in subject, was she forgiven now?

 

“Yes. I did”.

 

“Are they dead”, Aki asked curiously. 

 

“Aki”, Aiko asked, nailing her sister in the ribs. “You don’t ask stuff like that”.

 

“I was just curious”, Aki muttered reblusly. Aiko rolled her eyes. 

 

Gisela hadn’t seen the twins fight before. She had no desire to be the cause. “They’re still alive, I just won’t see them anymore”.

 

“That's sad”. 

 

Gisela wanted out of this conversation. “You know what else is sad?”.

 

“What?”

 

“Not doing your mediation. Now let's get started”.

 

Their groans were music to Gisela’s ears. Maybe there was something to this teaching thing?

 

That night Gisela had rolled herself up in her bedroll when someone poked her. “I’ll answer it in the morning”, she muttered as she turned away from the twins.

 

She had answered enough of their questions. 

 

“Wrong person”.

 

The sleeping bag constricted and pulled the breath out of her lungs she turned over so fast. “Kagura?”. 

 

“You didn’t tell me you had siblings”.

 

“What did I tell you?”, Gisela asked rhetorically.

 

“Do you miss them”. 

 

Gisela thought of them- how long had it been since she had done that, today was just bringing up all of her baggage wasn't it. She thought of how Maape used to ask her to play- after the memories were just sinking in and Gisela was in deep morning for everything. Of Gastislion’s love of the sea and Ca’s love of business.

 

“It doesn’t matter”.  

 

“Why?”.

 

“I can’t go home?”.

 

“What did you do”.

 

“More like what did I not do”. It slipped out before Gisela could stop it, with the words bile rose in her throat.

 

She forced it back down. If Kagura asked than she would have to tell her.

 

“What happened”.

 

“I mess up. You know the magic from the tower of heaven- I think that it  screwed up the arrays we used to predict the weather, I’m not making excuses I promise”, she had relied on those arrayeds, used them faithfully and well to expand her sense. Gisela keep going, mouth running without her permission, “and my mentor left the job with me and I messed up. I didn’t think that there would be a hurricane but I was wrong and people got hurt and it is all my fault and-”. She bit her tongue until she tasted copper.

 

“What does that have to do with you leaving”.

 

“I failed. People got hurt”.

 

“It was a mistake”.

 

“It was my fault. If I had been better than-”

 

“-than mistakes can still happen. Even the best make mistakes. My Master said that”.

 

“You had a mentor”. It was funny to think of Kagura as a kid, or even as a character. Kagura was a person now. 

 

A person who had learned to fight somewhere.

 

Kagura seemed to think for a moment. “Yes, I did. At the Southern Wolves guild, it's where I learned combat”.

 

“Is it a mage guild?”.  _ I thought Kagura joined Mermaid Heel. _

 

“Mercenary. When I got my magic the Master sent me out to try and get it under control”.

 

“Do you miss it?”. 

 

“A little. I need to find my brother but”, she slowed for a moment, barely perceptible, “they were nice. I liked learning with them. The sword combat they taught me was valuable”.

 

“Do you want to go back?”. Gisela wasn’t sure where they were but if Kagura wanted then they would go back. She pushed down the envy that thought gave her- it was her own fault that she couldn’t go home. 

 

Gisela could just make out Kagura shutting her eyes in the gloom. “It would be nice. I would like to show them how much better I have gotten with my magic”.

 

“What do they think about magic”. So far everyone here had been so positive about it. Aki and Aiko and Lana. Eiko didn’t seem that interest in Gisela but no one had looked at her funny or-

 

“They think that it is not the only path to strength and pride themselves on being strong- mentally and physically, in a way that many mages are not”. 

 

_ That was an interesting philosophy.  _ Gisela thought about herself for a moment. “I can see that. Where is the guild?”.

 

“It’s around here, maybe when we are done with this job we can go. It would be interesting to see how they would fight me now and they might have found some information on my brother”.

 

_ Kagura’s brother is lucky to have a sister like Kagura.  _ She pushed away the thoughts of her own siblings in this world, looking for something else to ask. Another thought came to Gisela,  _ Kagura is answering questions now.  _ “How did you get your magic”.

 

There was a longer pause of silence. “I was in a fight. I wanted him out of my way and down. I didn’t meditate or anything. I used to want to find my brother without what took him away”. 

 

That led to a very interesting question. “Do you like your magic?”. Gisela remembered just how much she had wanted hers, it was funny to think that Kagura hadn’t wanted like that.

 

“No”, she paused again. “But it’s mine now and I am not fool enough to waste a tool. It might have closed some doors to me but the Magic Council could be useful and they rarely listen to non mages”. 

 

That was a practical way to think of it,  _ typical Kagura.  _ Gisela waited for a moment, trying to see if Kagura had anything more to say.

 

There was nothing. 

 

Gisela slept, her dreams were uneasy and she found herself relieved when Kagura woke her up for her watch. 

 

It wasn’t quite restful. 

 

Even so, it was better than it normally was.

 

The rest of the trip was strangely… peaceful. 

 

Yes Aiko and Aki didn’t stop demanding help. Yes there was a drama on the seventh day with a lizard man, apparently they showed up in these parts every now and then, but overall it was going nice.

 

It had gone from the sparse trees around Clover Town to a heavy, forest. 

 

“It’s the Waas Forest, duh”, Aki had told her with an eye roll. 

 

Children could be so nice sometimes. 

 

By the eighth day nothing smelled like farts anymore. That was probably the best part. Gisela was so done with smelling like she had constant gastrointestinal distress.  

 

Gisela could tell they were getting close when the trees got younger, from tall ancient giants to trees that looked far more like one would expect. 

 

Apparently when a woodworking family lived somewhere it was pretty easy to tell. 

 

Then they were at the compound.

 

It was impressive, the whole place had the smell of cut sap and resin. 

 

Gisela hung back as Lana hugged the people who came out of the house. It really hit her that this was an extended family, looking at the variety of ages. Lana was hugging a short, old women with an intricate cane.  _ I wonder if she carved it herself?  _

 

The old women was probably her mother or grandma. Gisela was happy to stay back, she had made nice when Lana had introduced her and Kagura as the tempairy guards. 

 

She was glad when they could get to work on 

 

“If we go a little farther we get to Daria Town”, Lana mentioned as Gisela helped her unload the cart, “there used to be another guild in the area, Cait Shelter, but they disappeared earlier this year”. She signed, “it's been an odd year. I know you’re new to Fiore but what with Phantom Lord and Cait Shelter being gone the map of this area has been changing. Not to mention the weird magic thing around the same time. The Magic Council hushed that up quickly though”. 

 

“Cait Shelter?”, Gisela could have sworn that sound familiar. Something about Wendy maybe?   

 

“They were an odd guild, they didn’t do much out of area work but the Master gave good advice, that's what I heard anyways. We never really got into contact with them”.

 

“Ah”. Gisela let the conversation die, there wasn’t much of use there anyways.  _ Wendy is on Tenrou island now anyways, if that was her guild before it doesn’t matter now.  _

 

That was still a strange thought to Gisela. Fairy Tail actually existed now. 

 

She shoved it to the side. It wasn’t relevant to her life anyways. 

 

She was glad when they finished unloading. Glancing around she looked to see if she could spot Aki or Aiko- Gisela was probably going to leave soon, if they wanted more supervised practice it would have to be now.

 

“They decided to go with their cousin to Daria Town”. Daiki said in passing. It was weird to hear him talk, Gisela was pretty sure they had barely said anything to each other the whole trip.  _ Probably my fault,  _ she acknowledged. “Thanks”. 

 

If the kids weren’t around than Gisela was going to work with Kagura. She had done well that last fight but she still needed more practice. 

 

Gisela wanted to keep trying with the absorption abilities her magic had- unfortunately gravity wasn’t exactly something that she could absorb.  

 

It was the bloody nose that proved that.

 

After twenty minutes of trying, and getting slammed into the ground. Repeatedly. “Next time let's experiment with your magic”, Gisela muttered as she rubbed her, much abused, face. The entire thing felt like one big bruise. 

 

Kagura looked like she was trying to hide the amusement in her eyes. It wasn’t working. “I do not think my magic works like that”.

 

Gisela raised an eyebrow. “We can always find out. You use your magic like it is a last resort anyways”.

 

“The sword will always be my primary weapon”. 

 

They got back to work after that. Gisela gave up, for the moment, on absorption. Instead trying to work on her cloud armour idea- especially after the bloody nose some cushioning sounded good. 

 

Really good. 

 

But taking a break was nice.

 

Until it wasn’t. 

 

Dinner was tense. Apparently the news wasn’t good, a bandit gang or guild- they used the terminology interchangeably, started makings it's way up, starting from where Cait Shelter used to be. 

 

And they news was that they were getting closer.

 

“We will be fine”, the old lady said. She didn’t explain why. Gisela didn’t find that comforting. Not at all. 

 

Dinner ended on an awkward note. Gisela lay in the room that Kagura had her had been assigned. It, like the rest of the house, was made of dark stained wood with carvings that ranged from almost scratches to very elaborate.

 

It was easy to see that generations of wood cutter had lived here. 

 

“Do you think they will be okay”. Her question sounded so hollow.

 

“They know the area, they will be fine”, Kagura paused for a moment, “if not it is not our problem anyways. We are leaving tomorrow once we get paid”. 

 

“Do you know where you want to go yet”.

 

“Daria town”, Kagura said promptly. “We can see if anyone has heard anything there”. 

 

Then there was an odd shiver, like something in the air had shifted.

 

Gisela shot bolt up, “Kagura?”.

 

“I felt it too”.

 

Even if they technically weren’t on duty anymore Gisela was still going to do her job.

 

“What happened”. Gisela could feel her tension reflected on everyone. There was a tired, purple haired adult in the center. He looked up as they came in. 

 

“They came through Daria today”. He said numbly, “I got out-”

 

“What about the twins”. Gisela had trouble recognizing the third voice- it was hers. 

She didn’t want to see the expression on his face, it was made of pure guilt. “They’re alive, right?”. 

 

Why was she the only one speaking? 

 

“Yes”. 

 

Gisela felt the tension drain from her body.

 

“But they didn’t get out. The leader had telekinesis, he grabbed them”. 

 

“Why didn’t you help them!”. 

 

“What was I supposed to do. Not all of us have magic”. He glared at her. Gisela couldn’t find it in herself to be sorry. 

 

“Lets go Kagura”. 

 

“Wait”. It took everything in her for Gisela not to shrug Kagura’s hand off her shoulder. Still. “What do you know about the group”, Kagura asked, calm and steady as steel.

 

The guy took a breath. “The leader is Kiba- I heard one of the guys call him that. The group calls themselves the Northern Lions”.

 

Kagura got even stiller. The grip on Gisela’s shoulder was bruising. “What did he look like”.

 

“Tall, sword, telekinesis. His hair was bright green- like the shade you would see in a city, not a forest”.  

 

If anything Kagura’s grip got even stiffer.  “We are going, are there any other mages in the area that can help”.

 

Gisela took a breath, she needed to be logical right now and not panic. She couldn’t mess this up. 

 

“We were going to contect Unicorns Mane and the Rune Knights, are you two planning to go”. 

 

Kagura didn’t even look at Gisela. “Yes”.

 

That was it. They didn’t even go back to their rooms, just headed out. 

 

Then stopped. There was a shirming wall in front. 

 

The grandma smirked. Gisela restrained herself from doing something she might regret. 

 

“Good rune work- I doubt these two bit bandits could get through. You need to be of our blood or our right for that. Now you two don’t take to long getting my grand kids back you hear me”. 

 

“We do”. Gisela was so glad Kagura was doing the talking. 

 

It was a relief to be off, following the directions they had been hastily given. 

 

_ Hold on you two. We’re coming. _


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not in love with the ending but I needed to split the chapter somewhere. Is there any POV's you guys would want to see for the 100000 word mark?

Gisela could feel her magic inside her, echoing her tension as Kagura ran beside her. Gisela wanted to sprint down the trail, to pour on the power.

 

But that would be bad, to easy to trip, to easy to burn oneself out.

 

Then a thought it her. 

 

_ Was this really the most effective way to move? _

 

“We should fly”.

 

“Your clouds?”. 

 

It was so good when the other person understood the plan. “Yeah”. The night was clear but not that clear, with a little effort a cloud might actually be more stealthy than running.

 

It was also less effort than running over the distance that they needed to travel. 

 

“Lets do it”. It would have been impossible for Gisela not to notice Kagura’s tension.

 

“You okay?”.

 

“I’m fine”.

 

Maybe another person would have pushed it. Gisela wasn’t that person. If Kagura could hold it together then it was enough for her. They had enough to worry about. 

 

Gisela raised the cloud until it hovered a bit above the treetops, making sure that it looked more natural than her usual blocky shapes.   People rarely bothered to look up- that didn’t mean that Gisela wasn’t going to plan for that. Just in case.

 

Even if it was a bit low for a cloud. Either way, it was what she could do without freezing Kagura.  

 

Without the running the waiting was even worse, it didn’t take much force to direct the cloud. Her heart was thudding in her chest, and she finally understood just what taut as a bow string meant. 

 

She could have gone much longer without knowing that.

 

“How are we going to do this? What do we know”. She asked as she kept an eye on the horizon, even as the cloud wind brought tears to them. 

 

“Our best bet is to take out any mages first. You’re not great at fighting but against most non mage bandits you probably won’t need to get close enough for physical combat- just take them out with clouds before they get close”. 

 

“Do we know anything about them?”.

 

“No”. 

 

Gisela didn’t want any delays. She wanted to go and make sure the twins were okay. Her nails bit into the skin of her palms as she tensed, holding herself back from running. There was no point without knowledge.

 

“Lets see if anyone else made it out, we should be getting close soon”.

 

As far as Gisela knew it was around a two hour walk, they were going much faster than walking speed. 

 

Then it was back to silence. Her thoughts raced without her consent, imaging just what they were getting into. All the ways that it could go wrong and she could fail. 

 

Gisela was almost glad when she saw two figures on the road. “Should we talk to them?”. Even if they knew nothing it would be good to warn them. This was not safe parts and this was not a safe night.

 

They would have enough trouble saving the people who were already in danger. 

 

They needed to get there fast. 

 

Even so she couldn’t in good conscious not warn these people.

 

Kagura nodded and down they went.

 

Just in time for Gisela to deflect a kick from her head. “What was that for?”. 

 

“Don’t sneak up on us. Do you know you you’re talking too?” the one with the weird hairstyle demanded.

 

“Yes”. Kagura said calmly as she turned to face Gisela, “meet the Vanish Brothers”. 

 

“Kagura?”, the other one exclaimed. “I thought you weren’t coming back until you got control of your magic”.

 

“I did”. 

 

_ Kagura is very good at being flat,  _ Gisela thought wistfully,  _ I wish I was that deadpan.  _ The expressions on the two men’s faces were funny- still Gisela did want to actually know who they were. The Vanish Brothers wasn’t all that descriptive really. 

 

The did look like they could fight, that was a definite plus in Gisela’s book.

 

“It’s just raining mages today, isn’t it”. The calmer one remarked,  _ maybe he is trying to break the silence. Then again, that implies we weren’t the first mages that he met… _

 

“Typical. Just going to get in the way of us doing what we need to do. It’s-”

 

“Not now”, the one Gisela assumed was older cut him off.

 

“We need to move”. Gisela looked around, wondering who said that before realizing it had been heard. Everyone was looking at her. She kept talking, “we need to move, Daria Town has been taken over by bandits and we need to help. You two should go and-”

 

For the second time that night Gisela found herself doging a blow, this time a fierce punch. Someone had never learned to control their temper. 

 

Why. “What was that for”. 

 

“Do you know who you are talking too”, the angry one switched to Kagura, “why didn’t you tell her”.

 

“These are the Vanish Brothers of the Southern Wolves. I trained with them for a while, through they left earlier than me”.

 

“You see. Surly you have heard of us”.

 

Normally Gisela might have felt bad. Normally Gisela wouldn’t have been in such a rush. This wasn’t normal times. “No”, the nearly tripped at that, Gisela revised her estimations of how strong they were down a few notches, “now are you going to head out of here or, since you can fight”, she chose her words judiciously, “are you going to help us”.

 

“I suppose you can help us”, the calmer one, who for some reason had a frying pan, said, “if she is traveling with Kagura she likely has some use- even if she is a mage. After all, there are already two more”. He said that like they would have in Caelum. It was funny how much more in rankled now. 

 

“Then let's get moving. Is there anyone else with you two?”. Kagura’s tone was hard to read but Gisela was pretty sure that she had heard some hope. 

 

That made sense, if she could dodge their punches then there was something to be nervous about. 

 

“Two more. Lets go”

 

“Right, hope you can keep up without your clouds”.

 

_ Not the time.  _ Gisela chanted to herself,  _ besides, you might need their help. And if there are two more- _

 

Kagura seemed to trust them as well, that was something.

 

Then they took off moving. Gisela had to admit they ran, fast. The breath pounded in her throat as she chased after them, soon she was reinforcing her limbs with her magic, aiming for that extra mile. 

 

They went off the road, only slowing slightly as they ran through the trees.

 

Then the jog was over. 

 

Gisela dug her heels in, leaving deep grooves in the ground as she decelated.  _ Did Kagua do something with gravity? _

 

The other girl had just stopped. 

 

Turning away from the tree, which she had managed not to run into, she saw the others.

 

They were familiar, even if she only knew one name. ”Aira”. 

 

“Gisela, Kagura”, Aira acknowledged, “you here to fight too?”.

 

“There with us”. One of the brothers said. Aira turned to face them again, “how did your scouting go?”.

 

“Not so well if you consider-”

 

“Brother”. The younger one stopped talking at the admonishment. 

 

The older one kept going, “they have most of the villagers penned up, we could see armed teams herding them along with”, there was a slight pause here, so slight that Gisela wasn’t quite sure if it was there or not before he continued. “Not quite sure what the long term plan is”.

 

“Did you see two kids”, Gisela demanded, voice sounding harsh to her own ears. “They both have short purple hair and brown eyes and are around ten years old”.

 

The younger one actually seemed pensive for a moment. “I think we saw them-”

 

“-they were with”, again with the pause, “the leader”. 

 

“Did they seem okay”. The kids were just that, kids. 

 

“Yes”. He didn’t say anything else. Gisela was just about to ask for more information when Aira interrupted. 

 

“What else. Was anything in the town very damaged. How many bandits”. She said that like it was a curse, something else far different from the girl with perfume who cackled as the Guildmaster’s tests that Gisela had met earlier, “what were the numbers. Was there anything that we can use?”

 

_ Why didn’t I think of those questions?  _

 

“It looked like there was twenty or so”

 

“Any mages”. The man who looked so what farmiller said. Gisela was pretty sure that he was a member of Unicorns Mane.

 

The brothers looked at each other. “One”.

 

“Do you know him?”. It was Kagura who asked that.

 

“Yes”. Older one said.

 

“Was he a member of the Southern Wolves?”, Kagura pushed.

 

“He was”. The betrayal was obvious in the younger brothers tone. “But then a few months ago something happened and his personality was just gone, reversed. It was all that damn magic’s fault, magic ruins-”

 

“Not now”. Yet again the older brother cut him off. 

 

_ It’s not all about the story.  _ Gisela reminded herself, even as she wanted to prie for more information. 

 

“What do we know about him, is he the leader?”. It was Unicorns Mane guy again.

 

“We know that he was better than-”

 

Again with the interruption pattern. It was really getting kind of tiresome. Didn’t they have a better way to speak?

 

“We know he is a master of hand to hand combat, he taught both us and Kagura”, Gisela would be surprised about that later, “and he was an honorable and just man before an incident reversed him and some of our brothers in the Wolves. He now has fallen to use of magic and, I believe, has a form of telekinesis. He and his group have been attacking and robbing villages, possibly to start up a base and set up a gang. We were given the mission to stop him if possible”.

 

“I should fight him then”. Gisela blinked at Kagura’s non requitere.

 

“You’re not even one of us anymore, it's our job and-”. Gisela waited for the older one to interrupt. He didn’t. It was Kagura who did.

 

“I could beat you both and you know it. And that was before my magic. Gravity is the only thing we have that could canceled telekinesis, right?”.

 

“I have barrier magic so that’s true. If we are planning than I should be on hostage rescue. Aira would be good there too”. 

 

“But I want-”. 

 

“You know that it will be a hard job, besides, with Gisela here it’s not like you can say we are being easy on you because you are a kid”.

 

“Fine Ken”.

 

Gisela made note of the name. “So you two will be on hostage rescue”, a thought occurred to her, “are there any Rune Knights in the area”.

 

“None that will help in time. We found out about this because one of our Guild Mates was taken- our rune mage. Their partner teleported back to let us know. Aira and I were the only ones that good go, Celia needed to hold down the fort”. 

 

“Where are your other guild mates”. It would be good if they could get more help. 

 

“Not here, they are coming but we need to move fast, before anything can get set up or they can get a foothold- it's the best way to do it”. 

  
  


“Thats right”, Kagura backed Ken up. The four of them looked at the two Wolves. “You know none of us can do this alone, your help would be useful”.

 

“We know”. Gisela wanted to wince at the vanity. It was painful. 

 

“We will help”.

 

“And Kiba”. Kagura asked.

 

“We will see”. 

 

Gisela wondered if Kagura would push, it was pretty obvious that she had a bone to pick with this leader as well. 

 

“Fine”. 

 

They shook on it. 

 

“Now that that's over lets get to planning”. That was Ken, apparently he was ready to be the resident adult. Lucky him.

 

Gisela stilled wanted to move. 

 

Unfortunately she had too much sense to charge in without a plan. Either that or she was just to afraid to do that.

 

It wasn’t as nice to look at it that way.

 

“How big is the town”. She asked, trying to focus on doing something.

 

“Not to large”, Aira said, “it has about two hundred people- most of them only live in one season and make their livings as loggers or hunters in the others so the population can be hard to pin down. It has a main street with houses branching off it. Around the town is about one hundred or so meters of cleared area before the forest- that will make a surprise attack hard”.

 

“We could come in from above”, Gisela offered, “people rarely remember to look up”.

 

“True”. Ken said with a smirk, when Gisela glanced at him he elaborated, “I can fly on my barriers, it's how we got here so fast” .

 

“We should probably stay in our groups”, Kagura added, “learning to work with someone on the fly can be risky, we don’t have time for mistake right now”

 

“Good point”. Gisela really needed to stop thinking of him as the older one. Too bad she didn’t want to ask him name now. 

 

They bandied about a few other ideas but in the end the only plan they could come up with was… rough.

 

It would have to do. Gisela was tired of losing time. Allies were good but they were so slow and Gisela wanted to be there yesterday.

 

Or before that. 

 

That would have been good as well.

 

She raised her cloud into the air, this time carrying all six of them.

 

Ken muttered something about his barriers being better- Gisela ignored him. Clouds were obviously suerpoor anyways. 

 

It was a quick trip. If the others were cold than they would just have to deal with it. Gisela was making up for lost time in the best way she could. 

 

“Do you see any look outs?”. The town below- a collection of houses and small shops along a main road and branching out a bit, all below her like a doll’s playland looked...normal. 

 

Distressingly soon. 

 

Except for the fact that there were no people out, save for the two that Ken pointed out in front of the biggest structure.

 

Moments after that Kagura pointed out a different group. 

 

It was hard to see detail from so high up but Gisela was pretty sure that the thing the two men were dragging was a child. 

 

Or at most a teen.

 

“Do we start”. Gisela didn’t want to watch this, didn’t want to wait and watch pain. 

 

Not at all. 

 

But if it ruined the plan...

 

“Ken let’s go”, Aira commanded as she stood at the edge of the cloud, ready for battle. 

“Right, good luck you guys. We will try to make this quiet”. 

 

Then they were off on the barrier, Gisela watched with bated breath as Aira sent two streaks of light down, the wind stealing the name of the attack.

 

They looked like shooting stars.  _ Please make sure that everyone comes back safe.  _

 

And extra wish never hurt, not physically.

 

“Time for us to move”, Gisela called as their cloud shifted, drifting lower and lowered.

 

Suddenly it was yanked out of her control and the plummeted.

 

Down. 

 

Down. 

 

Down.

 

Luckily this was something she was used too.

 

For a second Gisea was back at the temple, leaping off the highest part because she knew she could catch herself. 

 

Just as soon her cloud was lowering her to the ground, the image gone, replaced by the village. 

 

It wasn’t the same thing at all.

 

Gisela glanced around, heart rising in her throat. She couldn’t see the others and she didn’t know what had pulled her down. 

 

_ Telekinesis.  _ Her cloud was still up there- she could feel it. 

 

She just wasn’t on it.  _ Did someone remember to look up? _

 

Then it hit her she was standing in the middle of a town after being attacked. 

 

She needed to move. Fast. 

 

_ Make for the center.  _ She told herself recalling what she had seen from the air.  _ I guess this is what they mean about plans.  _

 

“Kagura”. It slipped out unbidden in her relief. There were the others. Or at least Kagura. “You’re okay”.

 

“We need to move”. 

 

“I think that will be a little harder than you intended, how bout you come with us”, he paused for a moment, “little ladies”. 

 

Gisela looked at the intruder onto her reunion. He was tall, yes, and carrying a club, yes. The kind of man she would have been terrified of in her past life. His clothes were ragged and stained with something, probably alcohol, she thought dispassionately. Overall he just looked like any two bit thug.

 

The two men who were trying to laugh evilly behind him weren’t any better. It was really quite surreal.

 

“Let us pass”, Kagura demanded, her head held high like a queen.

 

“I can’t do that. Now just be good girls and come with me, it will be-”.

 

“What's the difference?”.

 

Gisela could see motion, Kagura giving her a cue. She just needed to buy time. “What do you mean by that?”. Poor man obviously didn’t have the time for sequence breaks.

 

“I mean”, Gisela made sure to speak clearly, focusing on each Fioran word more than she normally would, “why don’t you three just stand aside and let us pass”.

 

They burst out laughing.  _ Really overdoing it on the laughter there.  _ Gisela’s fear had fled, leaving her somewhere calm and cool. She didn’t need these men to like her. 

 

She didn’t have to worry about how they felt about her.

 

All she needed was to get out of her way.

 

They didn’t know what hit them.

 

Gisela did. 

 

Kagura was good like that. 

 

All three of them were down in seconds. 

 

Kagura and her were off moments after, just sparing the time to destroy their weapons with some quick gravity.

It was really quite convenient.

 

Even if they had to do it again to a near same group about two blocks later. At least that time someone tried to sneak up on them.

 

That showed some creativity at least.

 

“Do you know what happened to them?”. Gisela knew Aira and Ken had made it down- she would have to trust them.

 

She just didn’t know about the brothers. When they had been pulled down what had happened to them.

 

“I caught them in my fall. You pushed yourself away with your clouds and were a bit farther back. They went on ahead”.

 

Gisela could hear the unspoken words. Kagura was agery, her rage kept under her iron control.  _ Did she know the leader?  _ There had been hints like that.

 

There had been nothing like this in the story.

 

Of course this was during the time skip, why would it be.

 

This was reality. 

Kagura walked a step ahead, leading the way. Or charging ahead, Gisela wasn’t quite sure. Either way it was time.

 

She flung her hands out, opening the doors of the town hall in a dramatic push.

 

_ Once more unto the breach.  _

 

They were almost there.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And nobody responded. Oh well. I'll just throw my one person party :D

The hall was silent as they walked in.

 

Empty.

 

Gisela itched to move, fight, do something. 

 

Her nerves were on a hair trigger.

 

This was real. It had been real before. Somehow it was realer now.

 

Then two more men appeared.

 

Gisela braced to attack summoningher clouds for one of the efficient bragarges,seeing Kagura do the same thing in the corner of her eye-

 

Then she saw the white flag. “What do you want to say”. She demanded,  _ It would be so quick. _

 

“The boss wants to talk to you two”.

 

“Hey, what about us”. One of the brother’s demanded, Gisela was pretty sure it was the younger one.

 

“You two can wait here”.

 

“But”

 

“A master can want to spend time with his student, right?”. The man who had just walked down the stairs said jovial. 

 

“Kiba”. Kagura said, bitterness bleeding through her voice, “why are you doing this”.

 

Oh. Gisela had read her wrong. It was confusion. 

 

“I just embraced myself”. The Vanish Brother’s lifted and were sent back through the open doors in an elegant, smooth control of power. “And decided that I wanted more than to limit myself- to contain myself. I decided I wanted power, wanted strength”. He leered. “I wanted it all. So I am going to have it. This town is the start of my great triumph, my great beginning”.

 

_ I think I just heard my first monologue.  _ Part of Gisela wanted to giggle- they sounded just as melodramatic in real life as they had on the page. 

 

Kagura unsheathed her sword. “Then I will fight you”.  All traces of the emotion that Gisela had heard was gone. This was Kagura at her blankest.

 

There was no hesitance in her tone.  _ Isn’t he her mentor,  _ Gisela thought as she watched them, nausea rolling in her belly.  _ Why is he doing that to her.  _ It just didn’t make sense. 

 

She summoned her clouds. 

 

Gisela would not let Kagura fight alone. 

 

“You wana fight us girlie?”. One of the two men- the one holding the white flag offered. “We can’t exactly let you interfere with them, sides, we need some fun too”.

 

“What about the building?”. Gisela didn’t know where the hostages were- didn’t know if they were safe or anything.

 

Kiba acknowledged her for the first time. “Do you best, we got a”, he paused here, “friend to make sure this place doesn’t come down easy”.

 

_ That doesn’t sound good.  _ Gisela needed to know,  _ sorry about your fight Kagura.  _ “What happened to the kids”. 

 

“Which kids, we have quite a few right now”. He was enjoying this- Gisela could tell. She wanted to clench her fists but resisted, right now that would only slow her down.

 

“Where are they”.

 

“Don’t you want to tell me who”. His voice was sacherine and sent shivers up Gisela’s spine.  

 

She couldn’t tell him which ones, wouldn’t risk them like that. “Did you hurt any of them”.

 

“Only if they resisted, why? Got any friends with them? It would be a pity if you did I-”. 

 

Gisela wanted to charge. It was Kagura that did. 

 

He pulsed her back as he drew his own sword. Kagura used her gravity to break out of his magic. 

 

Then Gisela couldn’t watch anymore. 

 

One of the other two came hurtling towards her. 

 

She crossed her arms to counter. 

 

Too slow!

This time it was her who was sent flying back, not quite to the door, catching herself on a cloud. 

 

The next hit came soon after, knocking the wind out of her.

 

This time she hit the flow.

 

A rune rose up, glimmering tauntingly.

 

There was no time to read it.

 

She rolled out of the next blow, lashing out with her foot to buy herself some space. 

 

This was not good.

 

She needed space! 

 

She couldn’t get up. 

 

Couldn’t focus.

 

Something burned- not like being magicly exhausted, not like being broken. Something physical. 

 

It burned, Gisela readied herself for the next impact, unsure if the liquid on her face was tears or blood.

 

No hit clang.

 

The was a clang like a frying pan, “we said we were gonna fight damn it”. A familiar voice swore. 

 

She forced herself up on aching limbs, her entire body screaming.

 

“Get back in the game mage”. The other voice said.

 

Gisela wiped her face, not looking at what was on her hands. She didn’t want to know.

 

“If you look at the heavens”. A blur hit the one of the men, “-find earth”.

 

That looked like it hurt. Funny how little sympathy Gisela had for that right now. 

 

Then the surprise was over, the Vanish Brothers moved fast as they danced with the two men. Gisela stood behind them, feeling almost awkward.  _ I can’t fight like this, I can’t.  _

 

Something came by her, flying fast.

Gisela threw up her clouds to catch it. 

 

It was Kagura. She pulled herself forward as soon as she got free, sword glittering in the light.   

 

Kagura was fighting too.

 

They were moving to fast.

 

The two brothers reappeared, the men in the middle still standing as well.

 

Gisela didn’t know what to do- this wasn’t a battlefield she fought well on.   _ I hate feeling helpless.  _

 

“I see you two have improved too, unfortunately I do not think you have improved this way”. 

 

The cloth strips whipped out violently, both the bandages and the flag. 

 

Gisela pulled back as soon as she saw. 

 

Her face stung slightly. 

 

She felt her already beating heart accelerate. They had been caught! 

 

Gisela needed to do something. The bandages lashed out again as they called out, she couldn’t hear what they said over the rushing in her ears. Both of them used them.

 

She couldn’t fight them hand to hand. 

 

She forced herself to widen her vision as she dogged around the bandages,  _ it's almost like dancing,  _ the thought was gone as soon as it came. 

 

They both paused for a moment. The Vanish Brothers were still tied. “Give up girl”, he said girl like it was an insult and a curse, like it was something to be noted and hated, “you can't beat us”. 

 

They were right. Kagura was busy, the Brother were chained. She didn’t know where Aira or Ken were.

 

It was just her.

 

And she was not enough. 

 

She glanced around wildly, looking for something, anything that she could do. They were trying to taunt her but she tuned that out.

 

They couldn’t say anything worse than she already knew. 

 

There!

 

Gisela dove for the frying pan, creating a wall of clouds to block herself from their view as she grabbed it.

 

It took both her hands to lift. The wrapings were rough against her soft,  _ weak _ , hands.

 

_ Nowhere to go but through.  _ She pictured Aiko and Aki.

 

She had been so dumb to think she could save them.

 

She swung it through the air. It didn’t hit through the clouds like she expected.

 

Instead the whole mess hit the wall.

 

Once.

 

Twice. 

 

The wall shimmered with runic enchantments as she dropped the pan. 

 

_ Please let this be enough,  _ she prayed as she forced herself to stay standing even as she wanted to curl up and cry.

 

_ I did that.  _

 

The four were laying in a bludgeoned heap against the wall. The runes apparently capable of holding up to giant dubious magical frying pans. 

 

She felt a hysterical giggle leave her throat. 

 

Then another.

 

She bit her tongue after that and used the copper and pain that filled her mouth as a focus. 

 

Kagura was still fighting. Kiba and her were locked in a dizzying series of blows. They clashed off eachother, the sound of metal shrieking through the air and making Gisela want to clap her hands over her ears as a new mrigain started, filling the room.

Then they broke apart. Staring each other down in silence. 

 

Kagura’s sword broke. 

 

One could have heard a pin drop, and Gisela did hear a sword drop, as the blade fell apart.

 

“I see you don’t only have a problem with your choice of companion”.

 

Gisela wanted to be indginat- he did have a point. She was weak. 

 

“Your blade is weak too. Relying to much on your magic now”, he lectured, taunted. If one discounted the taunted it could have been teaching. It was sounding almost, almost sane for a moment.  _ Was this what he was like as a teacher? What had happened to him?  _

 

“Then let's fight as two who have broken the rules”, Kagura said, throwing away her broken sword. “Me for my brother. You for,” Kagura trailed off, “you”. She decided on. Apparently she couldn’t think of a better reason for why he had turned.

 

Gisela couldn’t either. 

 

Kiba laughed. “Very well. A new kind of test for my favorite student”. 

 

He wasn’t laughing when he was slammed into the ground the next moment. “Gravity beats telekinesis”. She said as she stared at him. She then turned to Gisela. “We’re done here”. 

 

It felt kind of floaty, sure her legs were like blocks of concrete but they didn’t quite feel real. It was like right after she remembered, back when-  _ I need to focus.  _ She pulled herself back to the present. “What about if they wake up?”. She didn’t think she would get lucky with the pan and her weakness meant that they couldn’t count on the Vanish Brothers and-

 

“They won’t”. A voice said from the entryway. It was Aira.

 

She looked a little bruised and a little battered, but overall she had come out of fighting who ever she had better then Gisela. Much better. She probably hadn’t been useless in her fight. 

 

Gisela wanted to fall over. She was so tired but she wasn’t, bouncing from a high to a crash. 

 

She was glad she didn’t fall a moment later and two blurs stuck themselves to her legs. It had taken everything for her not to dodge out of the way or block them. 

 

They were crying. 

 

_ The twins. I didn’t fail them.  _

 

Then a thought came through the relief. Gisela had no idea what to say. She stood there floundering as she patted their heads in an attempt at comfort. Her thoughts swum. 

 

“How will you ensure that”. Kagura asked. 

 

That was good. It would be mean if Gisela ignored the twins to try and help sort things out. Besides, they seemed to want her for some reason,  _ even if I was so useless,  _ she thought angrily at herself. 

 

She needed to be better. Her magic was strong- yes. But physically. Physically she still pretty much sucked. 

 

“I will”, a bedraggled looking man said as they entered, held up by Ken. “I can just put sleep runes on them and keep them penned till the Rune Knights get here”.

 

“I think the ring leaders need to go to the Wolves”. Kagura said.

 

“I really think that”-

 

Gisela tuned out the talk. She didn’t know enough about Fiore’s laws in cases like this to help. She made a note to start learned. 

 

_ Kids. Patting. Now.  _ Somewhere along the way she had ended up on her knees, holding each of the twins so they were crying on her shoulder as she ran her hands through their disheveled hair, trying to find the words to tell them it would be okay. 

 

She tried to get up, everything burned as she picked them up. 

 

_ How is nothing broken.  _ She had been slammed into the floor!  _ Worry latter be greatful now,  _ she told herself. 

 

Rune Mage, she needed to find out his name too, had started drawing his runes, or working them, Gisela wasn't sure what the term was, as Kagura came over.

 

“Let's talk later”. Gisela asked. “We need to get them home”. 

 

“What about the Brother’s. I need to work something out with them”.

 

“Does this involve me?”.

 

“Yes”.

 

“Can it wait till the clean up is over. I can make sure they get home and then head back-”

 

“That will work. You can take them back now and come back”. Kagura said briskly before glancing back at the remains of her sword. 

 

Gisela almost protested, she didn’t want to leave Kagura alone. But. But. She looked at the kids in her arms.

 

“You guys ready to go home”.

 

“Home?” Aiko asked. Gisela didn’t like the hint of longing in her voice. “We are going home?”.

 

That settled it. 

 

Gisela carried them back out- dawn had broken- part of her noticed distantly. “You guys ready for a flight”.

 

They nodded slightly, in synch. 

 

“Lets go”. She created the cloud, jumping slightly so it was under her before raising it up. Up. Up. 

 

“Do you guys wana get down?”. 

 

Aki was the one that hugged her tighter, only lifting one arm to include Aiko. “I’ll take that as a no”, Gisela said carefully, unsure of how to treat them. 

 

They continued on in silence as Gisela kept an eye on the path before them. It would be a little bit of a trip back to their house.  _ I didn’t save them.  _ Now that she wasn’t in battle the images of how little she had managed to do haunted her. 

 

She had needed to be rescued. Saved by the Vaish Brothers.

 

She hadn’t helped Aki and Aiko. That had been Aira and Ken. 

 

She hadn’t been able to fight Kiba. That had been Kagura. 

 

She hadn’t done anything.

 

She bit her tongue slightly to stop the tears. She needed to get the twins home. If all she could be was a glorified carriage than she would be a glorified carriage. 

 

Anything to not fail. 

The path kept going. “You guys okay?”. Gisela knew it could be cold up high and she didn’t want them to freeze. 

 

They didn’t need her to fail them in anymore ways. She had already messed up enough. More than enough. 

 

She was sure the liquid coming out of her eyes was tears now. She blinked them away, letting them be blown away by the wind as she flew- now was not the time for tears. 

 

The bounce against the bubble jolted the three of them out of the odd liminal space that they had been it. 

 

Well. The twins had gone in.

 

It was Gisela that had bounced. 

 

Thankfully they landed safely. 

 

The second Gisela lowered her cloud to the ground the third purpled haired blur came running.

 

“Look you guys”, Gisela said, gently urging them to see.

 

They detached as soon as they saw their mom, running to her.  

 

Gisela felt her lips curve into a smile as she watched Lana hug the twins, their father coming right after. 

 

Soon the whole family was out, hugging and laughing and celebrating that the kids were home. 

 

It was good to see that they had a place to belong. 

 

A place where they were loved.

 

Gisela wanted to say that she would be back, to let them know the plan.

 

But they looked so happy. 

 

And Gisela had work to do. She had told Kagura that she was going to come back so come back she would.

 

She was up on her cloud when Lana noticed her again. “Is Kagura okay?”, the mother called out, worried. 

 

“Yeah, I just wanted to make sure the twins were okay so I dropped them off. I’m going to help Kagura- we should be back soon”.

 

Lana’s features twisted again. “Thank you”, she called, gratitude so very strong in her voice. 

 

“I didn’t do much”. Gisela said, trying to keep back her bitter anger at just how much she had failed. 

 

She didn’t look back to hear Lana’s response.

 

Gisela didn’t want to. 

 

_ Stupid.  _ She berated herself as she flew back, nothing to distract herself with but her thoughts.  _ You got cocky and thought that a person with some magic and a two weeks of combat training could do something. _

 

_ Stupid.  _

 

_ Stupid.  _

 

Everything was just so loud in her head, reminders of all the times she had gotten cocky and hurt someone. Before and now.

 

It felt like she couldn’t breathe. 

 

The only relief was that her magic had been doing something with her bodies healing because she was aching much, much less already.

 

Nothing felt like it was on fire anymore.

 

Except that was a problem to because there was nothing to distract herself from her failure.

 

She couldn’t meditate.

 

Couldn’t focus on anything except those moments where all she could do was cry and be helpless. 

 

Gisela didn’t want to be helpless again.

 

She yanked her hand across her face, scraping off the ice crystals that her hot tears had formed as they cooled.

 

She was back in Daria Town. 

 

It was time to get back to business.

 

There were people out and they pointed as Gisela landed. Nervously. 

 

There was a lump in Gisela’s throat that didn’t want to move. 

 

She didn’t know what to say.  _ Don’t worry, I know a mage hurt you all and tried to take over your town but I’m with the good guys and I won’t hurt you- I promise.  _ It sounded stupid in her head. She didn’t want to say it outlound. 

 

These people would have learned not to trust an obvious mage by now, even if they learned nothing else from the night.

 

That was another one of Gisela’s failures. She had quite a lot of them.  

 

Thankfully she found Kagura before she had to talk to any of them. That was something to hold on to. 

 

“Dropped them off”, Gisela said- she even sounded wooden to herself.  

 

“Aira and Ken are taking responsibility for getting them to justice. Some other Wolves caught up and are giving a hand”.

 

Gisela couldn’t help but ask, “was Kiba your teacher? It sounded like he was”.

 

Kagura nodded. 

 

Gisela waited. 

 

The gravity mage thought for a moment longer as they walked, “he taught my swords before he left to wander Fiore. A little after I gained my magic”, she paused again, “I was always glad he left before I got it. I thought he would be disappointed”.  

 

“Why didn’t you ask him?”, Gisela couldn’t help but pry.

 

“You saw him. He made his choice when he tried to take the town, when he descended into badirtry”, Kagura said that word like it was one of the foulest curses. “I do not want to bother with begging. Not with a bandit”. 

 

It took a moment for Gisela to realize what she was feeling was envy. Envy that Kagura could just let go like that.

 

Gisela sucked at letting go. She could change the topic. “What else is there for us to do?”.

 

“Aira and Ken want to say goodbye. The mayor wants to thank us and”, Kagura paused for a moment, “the Vanish Brothers want to talk to us”.

 

“Does it have to do with your plan for earlier”.

 

“Partly. I believe they have something else that they wanted to say to you as well”.

 

Gisela took a breath, trying to find some sort of stability. “Let's do this”. 

 

The doors still looked broken as they walked into the hall. Gisela felt her pulse rise just being back in this room. She forced it down. She had already messed up enough for the night.

 

The Brothers were inside, looking like they were their own personal thunder cloud.

 

“I was told you wanted to talk to me?”, Gisela said quietly, trying to break the tension. 

 

“Thanks”.

 

“What?”. Gisela was pretty sure there was something wrong with her ears. Maybe she had gotten cloud stuck in them or something?

 

“I said thanks”, the older one said harshly. 

 

“Why”.

 

“Don’t rub it in. We’ve heard it all before, mages are better and stronger and it's not possible to be good without magic. You only got luck and that’s why you helped”, the younger one snapped.

 

“But you two saved me. Of course you can be strong without magic”. That wasn’t even in question- it was only when the two men had stopped fighting like fighters and started using magic that Gisela had been at all useful. 

 

Other than that Gisela had been a total failure. She couldn’t even land the cloud right. 

 

This time she seemed to have shocked them. But only for a moment. After that they puffed up.

 

“I have an idea”. Kagura said. 

 

Gisela turned. That was an interesting  segue . From the corner of her eye Gisela could see that the Brothers were interested as well. 

 


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is probably a time skip one- it should be the major last skip in the story (I hope, don't quote me on this). Also is anyone out there? I haven't got comments for awhile

“So what's the idea?”. Gisela asked a moment before the Brothers chimed in with their own query. 

 

“I was thinking that we could train with the Wolves”.

 

The older brother almost seemed sad, “sorry, you know the rules. Mages can not be Wolves”. 

 

“I know”, he seemed like he was going to speak again but Kagura kept going, not giving him the chance. “Gisela and I can come back. We will fight you as mages in order to give more practice. In return we will get more skill at fighting. Do you think the master might agree with that. If I recall correctly it has happened before”. 

 

“What do you think about this”, the Younger Brother demanded. There was something testing in his tone.

 

Gisela felt the spot light above her making a lump in her throat.  _ I don’t want to be useless next time.  _ “It sounds good to me. Like I said, you two were amazing earlier. I would love to be able to fight like that”.

 

“We can’t guarantee anything”, the older brother said thoughtfully, “but the Master was disappointed when you left, he thought you had potential, and I believe your help with this”, here he paused again, “issue will also help to sway him”. 

 

“You two are leaving imdeiatly, correct?”. Kagura asked.

 

“Yes. We need to finish cleaning up with this”.

 

“We will follow after then. We came up here on a contract and we need to finish with our employers. After that we will head up to the compound where we will talk to the master. I would appreciate it if you two spoke to him first. Is that acceptable”.

 

This was not something that Gisela had expected. Her head was spinning. Was this canon? She felt like they were but she didn’t remember all that much. Did this mean Kagua wouldn’t join her guild. It was the end of X785- Gisela was pretty sure the seven years had just started but she just didn’t know! She hated not knowing. Gisela forced down the bile that had been building up in her throat as she had zoned out.  _ It doesn’t really matter- even if I am in Fiore I am not that involved with the plot. Kagura had like one big moment and that was it.  _

 

_ It will be okay. _

 

If only she could really believe that. 

 

Gisela forced herself back out of her head, thankfully she hadn’t been zoned out for that long. They were still on subject. 

 

That was good. 

 

_ Should I say something?  _ Gisela stood awkwardly on the edge of the conversation. Yes it was partly about her but these people knew Kagura, knew that Kagura was strong and fast and learning her magic far better than Gisela was learning to fight. 

 

If the fight had been good for anything it had shown Gisela that. 

 

Aira was there again, dragging two bodies behind her on a platform of pale golden light. “That's the last of them, now it's just making sure that they don’t wake up. You guys going to stick around to deal with the Rune Knights. If you don’t want to I get that. If we weren’t the official mage guild in the area I wouldn’t either”.

 

“Aira”, Ken said, the rebuke obvious in his voice.

 

Aira appeared unaffected. “It’s true”. She rolled her eyes for added effect. 

 

Again Gisela was struck by just how different Aira was right now- and by how little Ken was doing. 

 

Aira wasn’t always afraid. Aira wasn’t always weak and needing help. Aira was strong and brave and confident and prepared. 

 

Gisela was Gisela.

 

She pushed down the unexpected jealousy, putting it into her box. Right now she had things to work out.

 

“We will stay with you”. The older brother said.

 

Right after Kagura spoke, “we need to head back to the compound. We have a job to finish. We will see you two later”.

 

“You two as well”.

 

That was that. Gisela forced herself to ignore the way the townspeople were looking at her and Kagura as they lifted off the ground. There were too many memories. 

 

It only hit her once she was in the air. “Damn it”, Gisela swore before slapping her hand over her mouth. 

 

“What?”, Kagura said curiosity tinged with an odd bit of coldness. 

 

“I forgot to ask their names. I keep thinking of them as older and younger brother or brother with a frying pan. If we are going to train with them that I”, Gisela paused, looking for the right way to phrase it, “I don’t think that it is a very good idea”.

 

Kagura seemed to be at least a little amused by this. “The older one is Jun and the younger one is Daisuke”.

 

“Thanks”. They flew in silence for a moment. Gisela debated just letting to conversation die. But. But. but she was tired- flying like this wasn’t hard but the adrenaline had left and now she was a bundle of nerves and shaking limbs. 

 

She was tired and needed a distraction. “How long were you with the Southern Wolves”. If they had said it earlier than Gisela didn’t remember.

 

Kagura tilted her head up so Gisela couldn’t see her eyes. “I found them was I was around eleven. I was not happy with where I was and when they gave me the chance I took it. My magic awakening was not part of the plan”.

 

“I see”. Gisela still didn’t want the conversation to die. “What about your brother, is it okay to do this?”.

 

“We need too. As we are we are not strong enough. I have gotten out the word and will ask people in the Wolves for help. I am not giving up”.

 

Kagura sounded like she was just daring Gisela to say she was. To say anything about her relationship with her brother. “I know you aren't. We do need to be strong to find him”. 

 

It was funny, like watching a bird smooth it’s ruffled feathers Gisela watched Kagura calm down. 

 

There were other questions that Gisela had for her friend, even so Gisela was pretty sure that this was not the time for them.

 

She had probed enough as it was. 

 

This time she let the silence linger, quietly landing them in front of the now open compound. 

 

It was funny. Now that she was out of everything she just felt so shaking.

 

It was dawn. She should be getting up and helping out. Gisela knew that. 

 

She blinked, trying to force the sleep from her eyes as Lana came up to them. Gisela glanced around. She couldn’t see Aki or Aiko.

 

She hoped they were okay. 

 

Even if they probably weren’t.

 

Gisela didn’t even know what had happened to them. What Aira had done or not done or where they had been kept or anything.

 

The world outside her head was strangely muted. It was like being in a fishbowl. Or a mermaid bowl.  Did mermaids fail to swim ever. It was lucky Gisela wasn’t a mermaid- she would have failed.

 

Gisela forced herself to pay attention to Lana. She was a nice mom. Aki and Aiko were lucky. 

 

_ Do I have to talk?  _ She didn’t want to. She had done all that she could do. Even if it was not enough. Even if it was never enough. Now it was time to sleep. It was getting brighter. They had been out all night.

 

She really should do something. 

 

It was morning. 

 

Gisela was tired.

 

Sleep. 

 

Thankfully it appeared Kagura was of the same mind. Gisela was pretty sure that Kagura was trying to be polite but Gisela could see the cracks,  _ like lines except more all shattered and stuff _ , Gisela forced herself back on top.

 

They were led back to the room that they had been in before.

 

Had they really been in this room so short ago? It felt like it had been eons.

 

She hadn’t made the bed. Somehow this stuck out in her mind as she attempted to wrestle the sheets into some sort of order.

 

Distantly she noticed that her chition was streaked with dirt, grim and, some spots that looked like blood.

 

She had been bleeding.

 

That was nice.

 

Or not nice. 

 

_ Words are funny.  _ Gisela thought blurily as she curled up in her bed. The covers were tangled but warm and it worked.

 

Beds didn’t have to be perfect all the time, they were lucky like that. An imperfect bed was a good bed so long as it was the right temperature.  

 

_ I need to do something about my clothes.  _ They were hard to move in and kept getting torn up. Gisela could poke a finger through a bunch of the new rips. 

 

She pictured herself in Kagura’s clothes, using Kagura’s sword. 

 

She remembered the sound the sword had made as it broke. 

 

_ What would Kagura do with her sword?  _ Gisela hoped Kagura wasn’t too upset. She had won that fight, she hadn’t failed at all. 

 

Gisela curled up feeling like she should do something about her clothes but just to tired. She had barely managed to take off her boots. 

 

Then she was out like a light. Gisela didn’t dream.

 

Her face felt sticky as she raised her hand to wipe it. She could feel the crust as she brushed it off her face and she forced herself out of be.

 

It was still bright out.  _ How long did I sleep for?  _ Gisela thought, still muzzy from sleep. If it was bright when she went to sleep and bright when she got up how many days had she lost.

 

Was she late? 

 

Had Kagura left her behind. 

 

Heart racing she forced herself out of bed, ignoring the protesting of her aching legs. She didn’t have time for that.

 

It was easy, way to easy to get turned around. Gisela forced herself to slow down and listen, to try and find where the people were. 

 

She could find someone and ask them and catch up if Kagura had already left and make sure that she was not being a burden on the family because she had just passed out and who knew how long she had been asleep for and-

 

And she was in the eating room.

 

For a second she felt another pain. Overlaid over this rooms wooden benches and tables was the table at the Raimu’s the table that-

 

She forced that thought into the box. 

 

“Morning”, a voice said. It was so dry and scratchy that Gisela had trouble believing it was hers.

 

“Morning”. Gisela felt her heart settle a little. It was Kagura. She hadn’t left without Gisela. 

 

That was something. 

 

“How long was I out for?”, Gisela asked as she walked over- legs still shaky now that the adrenaline was leaving again.

 

It was like she was just starting to learn magic again. Just a little less headachy. 

 

“Around twenty four hours”.

 

“Thanks”. 

 

Her belly made a noise Gisela would have associated with cartoons from before. Gisela could feel her cheeks reddening- an impressive feat considering. 

 

“Eiko should still be cooking”, Kagura said and gestured to her empty plate. “It is a little early to be up for people who weren’t sleeping for the entire yesterday”.

 

It took Gisela a moment to sort through that phrasing. She nodded as she got back up. Food would be good.

 

Her legs complained. So did her arms. Gisela ignored them, her stomach was more pressing. It was like some sort of black hole had opened up inside of her. 

 

Gisela hovered outside the door for a moment. She was hungry- she just didn’t want to bother Eiko.

 

Her stomach growled again.

 

That made up her mind. 

 

Gisela knocked.

 

The door swung open. “Who is it?”, Eiko called out. 

 

Gisela ignored the feeling of pride that came with the fact that she had recognized Eiko’s voice. It was nice when she could match names and voices right.

 

“Gisela”, she hesitated for a moment before barreling on, “I was wondering if you had anything I could eat. No meat would be nice but I don’t want to be a bother and I understand if you don’t have anything I can just make something for myself if you-”

 

Eiko cut her off. “I’m cooking. Pancakes good with you? We have nice syrup up here”. 

 

The second she started eating it was like she couldn’t stop. Her awareness narrowed down to the pancakes on her plate and her fork moved up and down as fast as possible. 

 

Every now and then she would drain the glass of water that someone had left next to her but other than that it was eat, eat, eat. 

 

Finally she was free of the thrawl that the food had cast over her. 

 

Gisela looked to the side.

 

That was… a lot of plates. 

 

At least five. 

 

And the one that she had just cleared. 

 

Opps. 

 

“That was a lot of pancakes”, Aiko observed. 

 

Gisela banged her knees on the table, when had Aiko come in? “They were very good?”, Gisela offered, she didn’t actually remember how they tasted.

 

Just that she was hungry and wanted food. 

 

A lot. 

 

“Eiko is a good cook”, Aki said as she walked in. Gisela glanced at her, there were circles under her eyes. When Gisela glanced back at Aiko she saw circles there as well.

 

Her heart twisted painfully. 

 

No one had escaped that unscathed. She hoped their parents knew what to do- Gisela had no idea. 

 

“True”. Kagura was sitting elegantly, cutting into her pancakes with a dark wooden knife. Gisela felt a pang of jealousy mixed with embarrassment. Kagura hadn’t embarrassed herself by completely losing it oo food. 

 

“I’m glad you like our cooking”, Lana said as she entered with Eiko.

 

Eiko put the plate of pancakes down as glanced at Gisela. 

 

Gisela very carefully put her hands beneath the table.  _ Be non threatening,  _ she reminded herself. 

 

The rest of breakfast was nice but awkward. Gisela wanted to talk to Aki and Aiko- to make sure that they were okay.

 

That Gisela hadn’t failed.

 

Even so she didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know what they were talking about- not really. Not the Grand Magic Games, thought that did spark a memory. 

 

Another thing to think about.

 

Finally it was over. “Do you two want to speak to me in the office?”, Lana offered. “We do need to work out payment”.

 

“You guys are leaving”. Gisela was impressed. Aki and Aiko had said that at the same time in nearly the same voice.

 

They were good.

 

“Soon”. Kagura said shortly, sharp as her blade before it broke. 

 

Gisela held back a wince as Aiko started crying. Aki just glared. 

 

_ Even I know not to do that.  _ Glancing around Gisela could see the adults joining in with Aki’s glare.

 

_ Time for damage control.  _

 

Gisela pushed dow her nervousness about spending time with them after she had failed so badly. 

 

“Do you guys want to”, Gisela stumbled over her words not sure what to say, “hang out a bit. I know Kagura can talk to Lana for me”.

 

Aiko brightened like the sun coming out from between the clouds.

 

“Sure”. 

 

Her hand was thus grabbed and she barely had time for a backward glance as Aiko pulled her out.

 

Gisela was pretty sure Aki was still glaring at Kagura- at least until she bumped into the door frame.

 

Then she was looking forward. 

 

And rubbing her forehead.  _ Poor Aki.  _

 

“May I ask where we are going?”.  _ That is a safe enough question, right?  _

 

“Our room”, Aiko said brightly as they headed down the hallways, branching off once or twice. 

 

Gisela was pretty sure she could find the exit,  _ if not there is always the windows.  _ She mused.

 

The twins room was, nice. It had two beds- neither bunked but both built into the walls with dresses beneath and ladders down. When Gisela asked she found out that Laki, who was a mage, had put them in.

 

“She wanted to make them spiky but we said that would be silly. Why would you want a spiky bed?”, Aiko said as she rolled her eyes.

 

It was an impressive eye roll for someone so young. “Point”. Even the idea of sleeping on a bed of spikes sent pain shooting up Gisela’s spine.  _ Why would anyone think that was a good idea.  _

 

“So is there anything you want to talk about?”, Gisela asked as she sat on the floor, avoiding the knobs on one of the dressers. 

 

The two of them looked at each other. 

 

The room felt darker.

 

“Why didn’t we get magic. We were scared and”.

 

Aki stumbled and Aiko picked up where she left off, “and we couldn’t move and everyone was screaming and we wanted to go home and we couldn’t find Hideki or his boyfriend and we were trapped and-”

 

Suddenly Gisela once again found her arms full of crying child. She rocked them, singing gently, a Caelum lullaby. 

 

She didn’t know any in Fiorean. 

 

The sentiment seemed to get across as she sang, through soon she ran out of songs, it wasn’t like she had ever had much call to sing lullabies before after all and started trying to comfort. To say that it was not their fault that their magic hadn’t come and that they were brave and strong and would be okay. 

 

Gisela hoped the last one wasn’t a lie.

 

No one was ever really okay in the end.

 

Not really.

 

They were strong- Gisela was pretty sure of that. They had each other as well.

 

Slowly the tears stopped.

 

They still stayed settled in her lap. Part of Gisela noticed that her chition was even more of a mess now.

 

She would have to deal with that sometime.

 

The rest was focusing on the twins. “Have you talked about this with your parents?”, Gisela asked, trying to keep her voice gentle. Even if Gisela had messed everything up with them in this life it didn’t mean that everyone had.

 

Aki and Aiko had good parents. Gisela was pretty sure of that.

 

“A little”. 

 

“It’s hard”.

 

“You should, they will know how to help”.

 

“Will they understand”, Aiko asked plaintively.

 

“You are planning on leaving”. Aki added.

 

“I think they will- there are runes so this can’t be the first time that something like this has happened”. Gisela paused for a moment, thinking if there was anyone else that they could talk to, “you should also see if you can talk to Aira”.

 

“Aira?”.

 

“She was the girl with the light magic”.

 

“She kicked those guards butts”, Aiko said brightly.

 

“And said some words that we can’t say”. Aki added, something devious in voice. 

 

“I’m leaving but this doesn’t have to be good bye. We can see each other again”.  Gisela offered, trying to be comforting. 

 

“When”.

 

“Well”, Gisela trailed off. The twins eyes grew accusing. “I don’t know how long I will be with the Wolves but I am not joining them”, there was no way that Kagura was going to make that the plan, “but after that we are looking for Kagura’s brother”. Their faces grew even more disappointed. “If I ever join a guild than you two can join it too”.

 

“Promise”. Aki asked. Aiko echoing.  

 

“I do. Even if you don’t have your magic yet, which I doubt”, hopefully Lana and Lucas would forgive her for encouraging their kids to become mages, “I will teach you them”.

 

“Pinky promise”. Aiko demanded, sliding off Gisela lap.

 

Gisela promised. 

 

Somehow that cheered them up. The rest of the conversation was a little more cheerful. It was rough around the edges, yes, but it was better.

 

It was like lancing a wound so that it could heal, at least Gisela hoped that that was a good analogy.

 

Finally there was a knock at the door; “we are done”, Gisela heard Kagura called. 

 

“Lets go?”, she asked. Her joints ached as she got up,  _ shush,  _ Gisela thought at them. She had meditated in much worse positions.

 

Much worse.

 

The financials were pretty much what she expected. The agreed upon pay plus a little more for the fight. 

 

_ Should I?  _ Gisela looked at the holey thing she was wearing. “Does our route go through Daria town?”, she asked Kagura. Gisela needed to pick up new clothes.  

 

“No”. Kagura said before softening, “maybe you could ask to see if they have any cast offs?”

 

“Good idea”.

 

Luckily Lana was still nearby and willing to listen to Gisela’s awkward question, waving off the payment that Gisela offered. 

 

She slipped into the bathroom to change, the clothes were sturdy if a bit odd. They actually reminded her of the school girl uniforms in anime before.

 

It was odd wearing pants again. Odd but good. 

 

There was still a prickle when she looked at herself in the mirror. It was just harder to tell why now.

 

Gisela fingered a bit of her hair, looking at the way it moved in the light.

 

_ Should I cut it?  _ Gisea knew she was going to be fighting a lot soon. She remembered how much she loved her short hair before, how much it had felt like freedom.

 

_ I can’t.  _ She didn’t have scissors. Besides- she hadn’t seen any girls with cropped hair since she got to Fiore and she didn’t want to stand out.  

 

Still, in pants and a tunic she looked different.

 

That done she folded up the other, similar even if they were not the same, outfits and headed out.

 

She didn’t look much like the girl who had left Caelum. 

 

It was funny how much that hurt.

 

To distract herself she threw her focus into packing. 

 

“I promised”, she told the twins, hugging each one separately before being pulled into a surprise hug from Lana. 

 

Kagura was standing back. 

 

And them it was time to go.

 

It was odd, knowing that she could go back somewhere and be welcomed. 

 

Odd. But nice.

  
  
  
  



	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going on Hiatus for two or three weeks because of finals and final mid terms way to close to end of semester

It hits Gisela, not literally, thankfully, that she had accomplished a joke dream that she had from Before. 

 

In fact, it had been on her bucket list, the list that she had never gotten to complete. 

 

The list she had had before she died.

 

Even if she had just achieved it now.

 

She was pretty sure a bucket list was for before one died, not after.

 

The knowledge sends an old sort of melancholy pain through her. 

 

_ I got to hit someone with a frying pan.  _

 

Looking back still hurts, it's still pain and fear and terror and failure.

 

But.

 

But. 

 

Before she hadn’t been able to think of one good thing, not one good thing at all. Aiko and Aki were safe but that was Aira’s doing. Aira who was brave and strong and a good mage. Yes, they had beaten Kiba but that had been Kagura who had broken her sword. 

 

It was still there in her shealth. Kagura hadn’t drawn it since. She wasn’t sure when Kagura had gotten the pieces, maybe when Gisela had been playing the transportation card, but they we there.

 

She had just noticed that.

 

Gisela, Gisela had just gotten beaten up and needed to be rescued. The only reason that she ever won was because she was underestimated,  _ just like the Jiggle Butt Gang.  _

 

That thought was not a welcome one either.

 

But.

 

She had joked about it Before. Joked as she held a pan and planed to find a foam one- she hadn’t wanted to actually hurt anyone then.

 

Just wanted to see their face as she imitated so many anime characters and hit someone with a frying pan. 

 

_ Well, I am in an anime. Guess I finally fit.  _

 

That thought to almost sent Gisela into a gale of laughter.

 

Gisela held back, she didn’t want Kagura to ask her, there was no way that she could explain her realisation without sounding totally out of it. 

  
  


They keep walking, Kagura leading the way as sure as ever. 

 

It was different walking on their own. There was no noise of the carriage, no children running around, wanting to ask Gisela questions about magic.

 

It was just Gisela, Kagura and the trail before them.

 

And snow. 

 

The snow and evergreens were a thing too. When they had first started traveling up this way the trees, non evergreens at least, had had a few brown leaves on them.

 

Now the snow had come. “Are you cold?”, Gisela found herself asking. Her magic and the light jacket she was wearing was enough for her but gravity didn’t have any interaction with temperature.

 

“I’m fine”. 

 

“Are you sure?”. They were wearing similar weights of jacket. There was no way that Kagura was warm enough. 

 

“I’m fine”.

 

“I’m pretty sure that there is a warm coat in the bag they gave us”. Gisela had always wanted an extendable haversack like in dungeons and dragons. Now they had one.  _ This really is the world of my bucket list.  _

 

“I said, I’m fine”, Kagura snapped.

 

“Sorry”, Gisela heard herself whisper, almost inaudible. 

 

She didn’t say anything else until they stopped for the night.  The knot in her throat had come back. 

 

The fire was the only noise as they sat. Really, it was lucky that they even had a fire, it was one of Kagura’s things. It burned based on magic so it couldn’t really be used by non mages. They did have magic so it was great. As long as one of them was feeding a little magic to the cord the fire would burn.

 

Much better than looking for wood in such a wet environment. 

 

Having a fire was nice. The cold might not bother Gisela all that much but that didn’t mean that she could not enjoy being warm every now and then.

 

They ate quietly as well, soup was easy enough to make from the packets and they had water from a stream.

 

Before Gisela might have balked at using stream water. She had had way too many lectures on why it was bad- had seen to many gross things floating in the water to actually want to drink it. 

 

The rules were different in this world.

 

So very different.

 

The awkward tension continued through the dinner and into the night.

 

“No point in having a guard. Not enough of us, we would be too tired tomorrow”. 

 

Gisela slept fitfully, waking up randomly.  

 

It was that which saved them. 

 

The hot breath on her face was the only warning. Gisela lashed out with her clouds, trying to get away from the giant maw above her. 

 

She rolled, the sleeping back trapping her legs. 

 

“Kagura”.

 

It was all she had time for as the beast shook of the cloud in front of her. 

 

Gisela retaliated with another wall, blocking it's progrese. 

 

It had just made it out as she crouched. It's eyes glowing as it made to run at her. 

 

Gisela braced to dodge.

 

_ Gravity!  _ It wasn’t moving. In the faint light of the moon Gisela could just make out Kagura, focusing intently on the monster. 

 

“I can not hold it for long”, Kagura called out. Part of Gisela wanted to ask how she was so calm. 

Luckily she was good at pushing things down. “Then let's fly”. Gisela grabbed their bags as fast as she could, sending them straight onto a summoned cloud. 

 

Just as the beast broke free they were in the air, it swiped at them, missing barely. 

 

It's roar shock the trees, echoing after them as they made it into the sky.

 

“What was that”, Gisela whispered after they got out of range. Ears still smarting from the noise and shivering slightly from the snow that had gotten ground into her close before melting, leaving a nice layer of water.

 

“A lizardman”. Kagura said, “it is out late for one of its kind. We are having a mild winter this year, so likely it is not hibernating as deep as it normally would. Beasts like that would not turn down prey. Even if they hunt during the day”.

 

The fear was still running through Gisela’s veins. “So we were doubly unlucky”, Gisela couldn’t help but say dryly, fear making her bold, “because it was a winter night. Joy”.

 

“True”, Kagura said with a slight smirk. Still Gisela could see that she was ever so slightly pale. It was nice not to be the only one freaked out.

 

Still. Gisela really did not want to land. Even from up hear the forest made her uncomfortable now. She had always liked the woods Before.

 

“We shouldn’t land the cloud”. She could still feel it’s hot breath on her face.

 

Still see the teeth glinting in the moonlight, ready to rip and tear.

 

_ I don’t think I will ever sleep well outside again.  _ Gisela thought almost hysterical. She understood why exactly the Ollieta’s had their barrier. 

 

Gisela would too if that was what lived around her.

 

“Magic beasts can frequently sense mages, they absob magic as well but any source is a good supplement. We should keep going for a bit”.

 

“Where to?”.  _ Away would be nice. Far away.  _

 

Kagura carefully walked to the edge of the cloud.  _ It would have been easier just the crawl.  _ Then again, Gisela had trouble picturing Kagura crawling anywhere. “This way. We should walk when we get closer, flying could appear hostile, but it will be a bit”.

 

The one interesting thing turned out to be Gisela getting out of her wet clothes, a partition of clouds served for modesty- Kagura’s more than hers, growing up in a dorm had done wonders for killing that.

 

Her next set of clothes was very similar to her first.  _ They were free,  _ Gisela thought wryly. It wasn’t like she planned on being that trope.

 

Kagura eventually told her to land on a patch that looked rather similar to most other patches of forest.

 

She descended carefully, keeping an eye out through the scrubby foliage for anything with teeth. Or claws. Or anything that thought human might be a good thing to have on the menu. 

 

It was a little lighter now, the first signs of false dawn were arcing across the sky, making it a little easier to see.

 

Shadows danced across the ground, making Gisela want to flinch as shifted, each on a new monster about to jump out, just waiting to attack them. To rip and tear and feast.

 

Gisela had always hated horror movies.

 

The tiredness hit her just as her feet hit the solidness of the ground and she wobbled. 

“Too much magic?”. Gisela could hear a little concern in Kagura’s voice. That was nice. People caring felt nice. Lana had been nice too.  _ I don’t want to hold her back through… she is being so nice. _

 

“I’m okay”. The fact that she was rubbing her eyes was a contrast to that. She blinked muzzily as she stared at a pine needle. Were trees aways so interesting?

 

“Take a few hours sleep. I will keep watch”.

 

Gisela wanted to argue but her legs felt like loose springs, all wibbly and wobbly, and wherever they were going she wanted to make a good impression. 

 

She did need the help with fighting afterall.

 

It didn’t take to much power for a two person cloud but it was still exhausting.

 

“Sleep”.

 

“Alright”, Gisela said as she leaned against the tree. The rough bark was a nice break from the softness of her clouds. 

 

A different sort of realness. 

 

Also she didn’t want to get back into a sleeping bag. The helplessness as all she could do was roll was still echoing through her. 

 

It didn’t seem so comfortable anymore.

 

Waking up the next time was much more peaceful. It was still cold out, and in the light she could see all the dirt that had collected on her clothes but really- it was better than a lizard monster deciding that she was a tasty snack. 

 

Looking over at Kagura Gisela blinked. She was wearing a coat. “It’s warm”, Kagura muttered when she noticed Gisela staring.  _ Was that a bit of pink on her cheeks?  _ Gisela didn’t ask, even if the sword was broken Kagura was the opposite of helpless.

 

“I’m glad. Time to move out now?”. She was a little sore from resting but much less tired than she was.

 

“Yes”.

 

“How many more days”.

 

“I think by the end of today if we keep up a good pace”. 

 

“Okay”.

 

They walked along in silence. Yet again Gisela found it far harder to be relaxed as they walked. It was nice not to be trapped in memories of all of her failures and useless moments. All of the times that she had been wrong and messed up and let people down and been not good enough. 

 

It was still tiring to jump at a gust of wind.  _ It’s not paranoia if it's out to get you.  _ Gisela reminded herself.

 

When she thought of those teeth it was easy to believe that it was in fact, out to get her. 

 

That was its own sort of comfort. 

 

“You okay?”. Gisela wasn’t quite sure why she was asking, there was something about the way Kagura was walking- something about the atmosphere that wasn’t called by the forest. 

She had almost given up when she heard something.

 

“Should I really be taking a break from this?”. It was so soft Gisela wasn’t sure if she heard it, but yet she had.

 

_ In for a penny, in for a pound.  _ “I think it’s the best thing we can do”. She wasn’t sure if she should answer, yet she wanted to.

 

Wanted to say something for once. 

 

“But what if I miss him. What if I miss Simon. He’s my brother, my family, I have to find him”. This time Gisela could hear Kagura well and clear, with more emotion than she had ever heard from the cold girl.

 

“We will. The way we are through we are not strong enough. The Rune Knights only started to listen when we helped them and it's like that”

 

Gisela could hear Kagura’s focused inhale. It was like her own meditation. “I know. I just want to find him. It has been so long. If we stop looking then”.

 

Gisela grasped wildly for anything that she could say. They needed this training, needed this time. At least, Gisela did. “We can leave when we are training, right?”. 

 

“Yes. We will likely do jobs like the Vaish Brothers do”. Kagura said, formal again.

 

“And if we leave word out then he might be able to find us. That could happen too”. Another thought occured to Gisela,  _ it's worth a shot,  _ she reasoned. Kagura seemed in the mood to answer questions. “How did you end up with the Wolves?”. At the looked on Kagura’s face Gisela started to back track, “you don’t have to tell me if-”.

 

“I didn’t fit at the orphanage. I was always out looking, trying to find my brother. I wanted to explore, to be strong. I wanted the sword. They didn’t think a girl should use a sword, or that I even had a brother anymore. They said that they would be my new family, that they could find me a new family. One day I was in town and I saw a Wolf using one, he asked me if I wanted to try. I left the next day”.

 

“Who was that? Are we going to meet him?”. Gisela felt her fists clench. She didn’t want Kagura’s mentor to hate her.

 

There was something bitter in Kagura’s smile. “You already have”. 

 

“Kiba!”, Gisela couldn’t help but blurt out. “Why did you fight him them”.

 

“Because he betrayed his promises. If he had ever seen who he would become, he would have stuck himself down. I did what I had to do. He was the one who betrayed me. He was the one who fell”. The intensity in Kagura’s voice sent shivers down Gisela back. 

 

She felt bitter envy bubble up at Kagura’s anger, unwillingly she thought of the temple. It was her who had messed up. Gisela who had failed.

 

It was her fault that the hurricane had hit without enough warning, her her that couldn’t compensate from the mirrors and-

 

She pushed down those thoughts as well, she didn’t have time for them either. Instead she tried to remember the story, did this even make sense? 

 

Gisela couldn’t remember anything like at in the manga. Yes, Saber Tooth was intense but nothing like the look on Kagura’s face. “I know”.

 

“I hate oath breakers”. It was almost an apology for snapping like that, Gisela had a feeling that Kagura was too proud for anything more.

 

She was beginning to see where that came from.

 

They kept walked. Really, they seemed to be doing a lot of that. 

 

“We are close”, Kagura said. 

 

Gisela looked around, trying to see anything other than the trees, they had left the path about and hour ago and were now in straight woodlands. Kagura knew were they were through so Gisela had let herself listen, thankfully there were no more lizardmen. 

 

Gisela could go her entire life without seeing a lizardman and be happy. 

 

That was true before last night and it was even more true after last night. 

 

“There it is”, Kagura said, pointing to a spot ahead in the forest. 

 

If Gisela squinted than she could just make out a wooden wall and a blank space. She felt her heart start to race.

 

Then it was time. “Who goes there”, a voice called down from above.

 

“It’s Kagura and my guest. We have a request for the master”.

 

“Does the Master know you are coming?”. The tone of the voice had changed. Gisela couldn’t tell if it was softer or harder then before.

 

_ What terms did Kagura leave the Wolves on?  _ She just was not sure. She felt her fists start to clench and forced them not too, Gisela didn’t want to leave any impression like that. 

 

“The Vanish Brothers should have said so, we met them when taking care of a group at Daria Town”.

 

There was silence. Gisela tried to remain still as Kagura remained steady, both of them staring at the wall. 

 

“The Master will see you”, the strong voice called down as part of the wall popped open.  _ Hidden door,  _ Gisela thought, wanting to inspect the mechasimens. Hidden doors were cool. 

“Lets go”. Now they were through the wall Gisela could see who opened it. The women was dressed for combat, save for the hair worn in a long braid like a taunt down her back.

 

Maybe that was ready for combat as well.

 

Something told Gisela that anyone who grabbed that would have an unfortunate surprise. Even Gisela could see that this women moved like a fighter.  

 

Gisela couldn’t help but glance around as they followed the wolf. 

 

She saw a couple people about, Gisela tried not to shrink back from them. 

 

This was not a village, there were not enough individual houses for that. 

 

Instead there were several long structures,  _ communal living.  _

 

And the building they were entering.

 

It looked like a hunters lodge might have in her past life, long tables stretched out. In the front was an almost throne like chair lined with some sort of fur.

 

It didn’t quite look like any type of fur Gisela knew. 

 

They passed the chair, going instead to a side door.

 

Gisela hung back behind Kagura as their guide knocked.

 

“Come in”, a commanding voice called. 

 

“Master”, Kagura and their guide said, bowing.

 

Gisela rushed to mimic, awkwardly trying to match the angle. 

 

Then they started to rise. 

 

_ Strong.  _ The master had eye catching hair that had been braided into a crown, with the rest of the hair worn lose. Her eyes were steady but unreadable, the bright, spring green should have clashed with the purple of her hair and the brown of her skin but somehow, somehow it worked.

That was not to mention her clothes. They were black, that made sense, black was the color of authority. It was closest to Qoasisis dark.

 

“Introduce yourself”. She commanded.

 

“Gisela”, she barked as fast as possible.

 

“No last name”.

 

Gisela hesitated. “No”. 

 

“Right. I am Gin Bruno, master of the Southern Wolves. And I know you Kagura. Maya, you may leave”.

 

Maya left without a word.

 

“Right, I hear from the Vanish Brothers you wish to train with us. Convince me, why should I allow mages to train here where the point is strength”.

 

Kagura stepped up. “Because magic is here and magic too is strong in it's own way. By training with us we will both be stronger and more prepared to fight”.

 

“What proof do you have”.

 

“We worked with the Brothers in order to protect Daria Town. It was only with my magic that we could win. While magic might not be needed to fight against magic, experience is”.

 

“You will treat them with respect”.

 

Gisela waited for Kagura to respond. The piercing green eyes focused on her. “Of course I will”, Gisela affiad, surprised that was even a question.  _ Is there something about how I look, I’m not trying to be disrespectful _

 

The Guildmaster sighed. “We will give this a try. You will not take our symbol, nor will you bear our name but you may train beside us for a time and if an agreement can be reached at the moment, go together on missions. Those are the terms that I can offer. Is that understood”.

 

“Yes”, Kagura said, Gisela echoing a few moments after.

 

_ Let's do this.  _ Gisela thought, bracing herself against the nervousness.

 

It was time to train.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Am BACK.

_ Time to suffer would probably be a better way to put it.  _ Gisela couldn’t help but think a week after making the deal.

 

She could see the clouds drifting in the winter blue sky as she stared up, her back aching from it’s nth impact with the ground. She couldn't help but think longingly of the thick, fluffy snow which had been falling.

 

Just once she would like to be hurled into soft, cushy snow instead of onto the freezing, dusty ground of the training field. 

 

They would both be cold but at least the snow would be soft. 

 

“You gonna get up”, came the harsh voice.  _ If only I could punch her.  _ Even as she thought that Gisela knew it was an impossibility. Trying to punch Maya was how she had ended up on her back in the first place.

 

Insanity was trying the same thing again and again and expecting a different result. 

 

_ I could just lie here,  _ Gisela thought wistfully. Even so she could see Kagura from the corner of her eye, working with a practice sword.

 

She forced herself back up, her thighs and ankles adding to the symphony of pain that she was experiencing. 

 

Not to mention how much her back ached. That was something to think about as well.

 

“That's better”. Gisela didn’t even bother to look at Maya’s face, she knew exactly what type of self satisfied expression the other girl was wearing and didn’t have any particular desire to see it again.

 

Instead she simply returned to the ready stance, ready for the next bout.

 

The suffering resumed.

 

XXX

 

The first time through the obstacle course was fun. That was probably because instead of running it like everyone else had Gisela had just flown over it. 

 

She had been rather proud of her choice. She had been able to finish it first after all.

 

Maya had not been impressed.

 

Nor had Kagura, whose normally pristine clothes had been covered in a slush of mud, ice and snow. 

 

Doing it three times to make up for using her magic the first time was somewhat less fun. 

 

_ Really through,  _ Gisela thought gumpily as she attempted to not fall off the balance beam,  _ they should have said no magic first. _

 

After the spinning beam of doom were the monkey bars over the mudpit. Her hands stung as she swung from beam to beam.

 

Her magic itched beneath her skin, not letting her forget how easy it would be to call on it. To fly again.

 

She forced it down. 

 

And promptly fell into the freezing mud. 

 

Climbing out of said freezing mud was fun too. Really the only good thing about the obstacle course was that it kept her moving for long enough that didn’t have time to feel cold. 

 

Even so, by the time she reached the pull wall at the end of most her skin was numb.

 

Still, the feeling of finishing the course was fun, and the calluses that had been forming on her hands were satisfying. 

 

Much better than the blisters that had been there before.

 

XXX

 

She felt numb as she watched everyone else celebrate- including Kagura getting a little tipsy and dancing with Maya. 

 

That had been interesting to see the start of. 

 

And would be interesting to see how they interacted later. They definitely had known each other before Kagura had left.

 

That train of thought faded out, replaced by what Gisela did not want to think about.

 

It was the day of renewal. It was Ubphine’s days. Time to remember the gifts of the water and ask for steadiness into the next year. 

 

She had almost forgotten.

 

She had barely noticed, caught up in training and practicing and helping out where she was needed. 

 

Gisela had noticed now. 

 

She couldn’t help but overlay the racus celebrations going on with the wolves with the temple ands it's winter celebrations. 

 

Couldn’t help but think of Cadra carefully copying out the scriptures onto pamphlets and tickets and whatever else needed to be done, using her gift to help and not just to cheat on her tests for once.

 

Of Iya’s careful dancing the way that her lights followed her as she swirled, making shimmering trails in the air. The way that the older girl had warmed up to her somewhat.

 

Couldn’t help but think of her tower on the temple, of watching the weather to help with the preparations. Of watching the ships come in, so many trying to make it home in time for the celebration.

 

There were no presents, not like the random mish mash of gifts that had been handed out, something that Gisela had forgotten to do because they didn’t give gifts like that at the temple but it was a celebration nonetheless.

 

And here that didn’t matter to anyone else.

 

Gisela missed it.  

 

Gisela blinked, her eyes seeing a shape in front of her but mind miles away. It took her a few moments to realize that it was the Guildmasters. “Master”. She said abruptly, hoping that the master didn’t think that Gisela had been ignoring her on purpose. 

 

“Not dancing Gisela?”.

 

“Not much of a dancer”. Not this type of dance at least, not like the dances that she had practiced before. 

 

The careful, elegant, scripted dances that they had rehearsed and rehearsed. All of them moving to the same rhythm. 

 

“You should give it a try”. Gisela could hear the steel in the Guildmaster’s voice.  _ Ask her why she isn’t dancing.  _ She squished that question down, pushing herself off her bench and out of her corner.

 

Into the crowd.

 

The music was hot and face here, as people formed circles. Gisela ducked and weaved untill she could slide into next to Kagura. 

 

Just as she joined Maya swirled into the center, moving in what Gisela was pretty sure was a modified kata.

 

Even so it was graceful. 

 

Another wolf took it as a challenge- Gisela had seen this one around but didn’t know their name. They flipped and swirled around each other, coming close but never quite touching as the moved to the rhythm. 

 

Gisela itchted to try it. 

 

The music shifted, the drum beats fading out as a high, flute like sound started a new melody. Just as they had joined the circle Maya and her friend moved back to the rim.

 

Somehow Gisela found herself in the center, all of the eyes on her as she scanned their faces, trying to figure out what to do. 

 

Gisela saw the Guildmaster wink at her from the corner of her eye. 

 

The music grew louder, the melody pounding in her head. It sounded like something from Before.

 

Everyone was looking at her, expecting Gisela to move somehow.

 

For the first time months, Gisela danced.

 

XXX

 

Fighting with magic was satisfying. Gisela soon learned. Most of the time she stuck to her fists and tried and tried and bore the scorn of being bad. Of always, always failing, losing. 

 

Sure everyone was nice to her and all but it was hard, always losing and messing up. She was so far behind everyone else it wasn’t funny.

 

But when it was time for the Wolves to fight against magic, when it was time for them to see what a mage could do.

 

Those were the good times for Gisela.

 

Then she could summon her clouds instead of pushing them down. 

 

Then she could really do her best.

 

It was hard not to help the satisfaction that came from learning how to change the properties of her clouds, not just hard and soft but to make them slow and sticky so moving through them was like moving through molasses.

 

That was nice. 

 

It was nice to figure out how to use her clouds to shield herself, buffers against blows that would normally bruise and break.

 

It was nice to have a chance to earn her keep. That was something that her magic gave her. 

 

In those moments when she was fighting with her magic, Gisela almost felt like she belonged. 

 

XXX

 

“Gisela”. 

 

“Kagura?”, Gisela asked as she looked up from her food. 

 

“You up to go out on a mission?”. 

 

“What type”. 

 

“The Guild Master wants people to help clear out a hamlet that has a problem with weretigers”.

 

“Weretigers”. 

 

“Weretigers”. 

 

Kagura was sometimes kind of bad at the whole deadpan asking for explanations thing. “Is this like a drive them away kind of mission?”. First it had been lizzardmen, then it was weretigers. Why couldn’t it be too cold for those as well?

 

“Kill is preferable. They might look humanoid but they are just magical beast”.

 

“And their magic is?”. Gisela hadn’t grown up in these parts, part of her missed the sea snakes. At least she knew what those were. 

 

“All they can do is adjust the length of their claws”.

 

“Oh, that doesn’t sound so bad”.

 

It was good to try and be positive sometimes. Gisela was practicing her positivity. It was her new year goal.

 

They could do this.

 

XXX

 

Gisela regretted ever even considering trying to be positive as she hop skip back from the giant slashing claws. 

 

The stinging pain in her face signaling a problem.

 

“Cloud wall”, she screamed.

 

It bought her a moment to get up on another cloud as she watched it get shredded. Just what she was hoping for. 

 

“Cloud entangled”. It took a bit of extra energy to make the bits of cloud coalesce to inhibit to movement but it worked. 

 

The tiger was slowed.

 

Gisela sounded a cudgel made of harden clouds to her hand. 

 

She thudded onto the beasts back, feeling it collapse beneath her, just in time to see Kagura finish off two of her own. 

 

“Can you make sure it's dead”. Blunt force trauma was something but Gisela did not want that coming near her on a dark night. It was funny how her worry about killing innocent animals could change when confronted with enhanced speed and claws that just kept getting sharper. 

 

Then it was much easier to want them out of her life. Puppies and kittens were one thing. Weretigers were another.

 

It was only when they were on their way back that it hit Gisela, she was actually getting a little stronger.

 

She hadn’t panicked as much. 

 

That thought made the sharp stinging cuts and the partially shreeded clothes worth it.

 

XXX

 

Gisela rarely spared with Kagura, what they were learning was too different.

 

The level that they were learning at was too different.

 

Kagura practicing with her borrowed swords and advanced combat that she was getting better and better at mixing her magic with.  

 

When ever Gisela tried, she always lost.

 

Fighting Kagura was like fighting… Gisela didn’t even know what. If Gisela tried to focus on not being caught in Kagura’s gravity distortions than she ended up being sliced. If she focused on not being sliced than she would be pinned.

 

If neither of those two things had happened than it was because Kagura had instead lighten the gravity around herself and launched herself at Gisela, ready for the kill.

 

Even so, it was good practice.

 

XXX

 

The first time she hit Maya, truly hit and not just Maya taking that hit as a sacrifice ploy hit, was a glorious moment. As usual it was Maya training her- Gisela had given up on trying to find someone else to work with after the first two weeks. As usual the other girl was taunting her, as usual Gisela was on the ground, back aching.

 

She swung her foot out. 

 

And actually caught Maya’s leg- pulling the other girl to the ground. 

 

Which turned out to be the preclude to another bout of sparing. 

 

Which Gisela, unsurprisingly, lost. 

 

Still, even while lying on the ground Gisela knew she would always have that glorious look of shock to think about.

 

And the hand up Maya offered for the first time was somehow even more important than that.

 

XXX

 

No news was hard. Gisela wished that she had someway to help Kagura other than going on runs with her.

 

Some way of helping.

 

She had tried to think of what she remembered from before, trying to see if she knew where Simon was. 

 

All she remembered was that Millianna was at the Grand Magic Games the year that Fairy Tail came back.

 

And she knew that Miliana would know.

 

But that wouldn’t be for years.

 

And until then all Gisela could do was watch as Kagura chased down each lead. In the five months that they had been training there had been seven leads.

 

And all of them had been duds. 

 

Or worse.

 

Some people had known Simon when he was at the tower. 

 

And were not all that happy to help.

 

The people they talked to did not remember Simon fondly- they remembered that he had worked with Jellal, who forced them to keep working.

 

Kinder yes. But boats seemed to break far to often, and the only way people really got to leave was with his approval.

 

And people seemed to find sudden disagreements with each other just when they had started to get organized for any purpose other than working on finishing the tower.

 

After one story of how Simon had retalitaled when someone broke his jaw Kagura got up and left.

 

Gisela had talked to the person a little more, trying to find out if they did know anything that could help.

 

She gave up about ten minutes later. 

 

Kagura was waiting outside. “He wasn’t like that you know”, she started to talk, “when mom and dad were fighting he would get us out of the house. The village was small but he always knew safe places to go. When I cried he was there as well. He was always there for me, even when no one else was”.

 

“He sounds like a good brother”, Gisela offered, not sure if it was a comfort or an affirmation.

 

“The best. I’m going to find him and we are going to be a family again”.

 

Gisela could hear the, ‘come hell or high water’, implied in that statement. Part of her wondered what it would be like to have someone care about her like that. Where ever he was Simon was a lucky older brother. “Lets head back. We can let them knew we finished this job and train until we can find a new lead”.

 

“Lets go”. And just like that Kagura’s walls were up again.

 

Gisela hoped that one day they would be close enough that those walls would stay down for more than a few minutes at a time. 

 

Then again, Gisela was pretty sure that would not happen until they found Simon. 

 

XXX

 

It was nice that Maya was actually sort of talking to Gisela now. 

 

Gisela supposed that it meant that her hand to hand combat had left the so pitiful I can barely look at you range.

 

At least she hoped that was what that meant. It was nice that she could talk to more people than just Kagura now.

 

XXX

 

Watching Kagura get annoyed by swords was actually pretty funny.

 

Then again, Gisela had given up on ever learning a sword within the first lesson, staves yes, swords no, so maybe she shouldn’t be laughing so much. Even if it was only on the inside.

 

But really it was funny.

 

The way she only tried to mutter at them when people weren’t looking was what made it entertaining. 

 

Magic existed, if Kagura wanted to talk to her swords then that was her prerogative. Honestly Gisela would not be surprised at all if good sword wielders could hear their blades. That sounded like something would exist in a world like this.

 

Either way, Kagura was choosy when it came to swords and none of the spares here seemed to fit her exacting specifications.

 

She would use one for a bit then drop it off, saying it didn’t feel right. 

 

At this point Gisela was pretty sure that Kagura needed some sort of magic sword.

 

But they just couldn’t find the right blade. 

 

So borrowing swords it was.

 

XXX

 

Even through Kagura and her had been with the Wolves for eight months meeting with the Guildmaster always made Gisela antsy. She was trying her best, doing her best both when learning combat and sparing as a mage. 

 

She was trying. 

 

But every time the master called her or Kagura up Gisela would feel her heart start to race. 

Gisela just could not help the omnipresent fear that she wasn’t enough. That she was learning to slow, that the last time where she had just tripped everyone up with sheet of clouds on the floor wasn’t right.

 

That it was wrong and now Gisela and Kagura had to leave because Gisela had failed yet again and she wasn’t enough and now Kagura would hate her and Maya wouldn’t talk to her at all when the other girl had just started to respect her and…

 

By the time she actually visited the master it was never as bad as Gisela had built it up to be.

 

This time it was actually good news.

 

Or at least interesting news.

 

“Recently I have found out about a tomb”. 

 

“What type of tomb”, Kagura interrupted in the tone that she only used when she thought the information was connected to her brother.

 

Gisela felt her heart rise up in her own throat for a moment, “not to do with your brother”, the master hastily added. Kagura settled back down, “but this is the tomb of a sword smith. Rumor is that she was buried by her sword, the one that she took up to avenge her lover. I know that we do not have any swords here that fit your taste, I was wondering if this might be something that you want to investigate”. 

 

“There is a chance that I will find a good sword”.

 

“Her swords were said to be master class. I actually found out about this from some treasure hunters I know so the rumor will probably have some basis”.

 

Kagura put a hand on her empty sheath. “Let’s go”.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gisela started feeling and wouldn't stop. Next chapter will have more action.

It was probably a good thing that Gisela had gotten much better and traveling since she had gotten off the boat, she had spent the first fifteen years of this life in one place, well, one city at least. Except for that one trip to Minstrel. But that had been by boat, not on foot, and had certainly ended with a bang. 

 

Or a boom. Gisela wasn’t quite sure what sound a cloud made- whisper just sounded to quiet for the dramatic effect that she wanted to get.

 

Gisela shook her head, pushing away that irrelevant train of thought. Instead thinking of how much she had traveled since then. 

 

Now she was going all over the place.

 

Really she was rather grateful that she had gotten the new shoes back at Hargeon, all of her other clothes had been replaced but those boots held up incredibly well. 

 

Traveling wasn’t all bad through, Gisela had to admit to herself. It was nice to be welcome back somewhere for once.

 

And it was nice of Aira and the guildmaster to let them stay the night at the Unicorns Mane. 

 

Even Grant, that was the name of the barrier user that had fought along with them before, was nice. Even if he kept offering Gisela beer.

 

Beer. 

 

Why did that have to exist. 

 

She still was pretty sure that beer was a prank that adults played on kids. They acted like it tasted all delicious when really it was foul. That way they could laugh at the kids faces when they found it out. 

 

Adults could be like that. Besides, yeast fermentation in beer wasn’t nearly as cool as it was when in bread.

 

She had even gotten permission to help with the Guild’s bread making the next morning. 

 

Now that was something to be excited about. 

 

She barely dodged the pillow to her head. “What was that for”, she said, keeping her voice low but sharp.

 

“Stop tossing”.

 

“Sorry”. Gisela hadn’t meant to keep Kagura up, it was just really nice to have something to look forward too. 

 

She forced her mind away from that train of thought, she did not have time to go there.

 

So she breathed, counting in and out allowing herself to feel the world around her. It was hard at first, harder than it used to be.

 

He kepting wanting to focus inward, to reach on her own magic that reaching outwards took time. 

 

Finally she managed it. 

 

There was a storm on the horizon. She could feel it, as they had walked a little down the snow around the Wolves compound had gotten thinner, feeling the front of cold air and the density of the magic carried in that Gisela could tell that wouldn’t last.

 

Part of her was tempted to say that winter was coming, even though it already had.

 

She shook that stray, useless distracting thought out of her head to focus back on the body.

 

Reading the air was not an exact science and especially when new to an air the predictions could be wrong.

 

But.

 

But. 

 

Last time she had not warned anyone. The lead was back in her throat, worse than before. She wanted to get up, to start screaming and warning everyone that a storm was coming even if it wasn’t a flood storm. 

 

She wanted to. What if something happened or someone got lost in a blizzard because of her failure.

 

But. 

 

But.

 

But.

 

It was dark and everyone was trying to sleep and they didn’t need a panicking person running around screaming about a storm that might not happen or that they might already know about or was not something to worry about or.

 

Or.

 

Or.

 

Or.

 

_ Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.  _ The weight on her chest was heavy as she pulled away from her magic, pulled away from the winds that she had been riding on and the outside that she had being scanning and studying.

 

Instead she pulled in. Focusing just on the effort it took for her chest to go up. And then on the effort for her chest to go down.

 

Just that. It would be okay. She could tell them in the morning. It was a storm. There had been storms before. There would be storms again. This was the north in Fiore. There would be bad weather. They were inland. This would not be a flood or a hurricane or anything of that sort.

 

It would be okay.

 

It was not her responsibility. No one was relying on her. No one even knew that she had this skill.

 

Breathe. 

 

Exhale.

 

Breathe. 

 

Exhale.

 

Gisela was not sure how long she spent in that state, solely focusing on her breathing. At one point through, she became aware of brightness in front of her eyes where there had been darkness before.

 

Slowly her breathing became easier and she forced herself up.

 

When she looked outside the one window their room had it took all her determination not to start crying.

 

During the night it had snowed. It had snowed and nothing had broken and things were okay. 

 

Things were okay and she could go make bread and help Kagura find a sword and a brother and not be a useless failure of a mage. 

 

For a moment breathing was all to easy. It was like she was one the the clouds that she could summon.

 

Like nothing was real and everything was fake. It was like right after the Before and the now had merged, like she was half in a dream and she didn’t know which side was which. 

 

Gisela wanted to burst out laughing. 

 

Then she remembered that Kagura was in the room, still sleeping, and that she got to help Grant no last name with the bread. 

 

So she breathed one more breath. This one controlled. She grabbed a change of clothing. She left the room.

 

It would be okay.

 

It was a relief to change out of her surprisingly sweating night clothes and into one of her day outfits.

 

To tie back her unruly brown hair, while facing away from the mirror, she wasn’t quite up for that, and wash her face, still not looking at the mirror.

 

Avoiding the mirror helped when she felt the way she did, it was one less wrong thing.

 

Then all she had to do was find the bakery. That was pretty doable as well.

 

Gisela could do this. She could function.

From the main room all Gisela had to do was listen. The guild building wasn’t huge and this early in the morning it took a certain type of person to be awake.

 

When she opened the door to what she was pretty sure was the bakery a wall of heat hit in in the face.

 

As did the smell of bread. Gisela felt her eyes start to water. Bread smelled like home, not the places she had had now but Before.

 

Bread making had been a love of hers since before Gisela had been alive.

 

Gisela had missed it since she left the temple. “Mornin’”, she offered, not feeling like saying much else.

 

Grant nodded at her and chucked a blob of dough. It was warm and smelled like yeast. Perfect. 

 

There really was nothing like kneading bread dough to make someone feel better. Gisela floured her hands, uncaring of how the white powder was going to get everywhere, and started to knead. 

 

Each turn of the dough made the night feel a little more distant, made the world around her feel a little more real, a little more grounded.

 

By the time that the dough passed the window pane test Gisela felt almost human again. “How many rises does this dough take?”, she asked as she brushed her hands off on her black pants.

 

They could take one for the team, besides, after all of the dirt that she got on them, a little flour might be a good change.

 

“These take ‘bout ninety minutes before it's time to punch them back down. Want something to drink in the meantime?”.

 

“Water?”.

 

“Right. You go sit down and I’ll grab some”.

 

Sitting at the table Gisela focused on the door. Her head hadn’t been going good places of late and she didn’t want to encourage it. 

 

She drank the water. It went down hot and sweet. Confused, Gisela looked down into the cup. “That's not water”, the said dumbly.

 

“Nah. Hot chocolate, with no booze, you looked like you needed something sweet and hot, coming down here the way you did”.

 

The back of her throat felt thick, but this time it was a warm type of thick. “Thanks”, she managed to get out around it.

 

“Do you want to talk to someone?”. 

 

Gisela wanted to, she wanted to say how useless she was and how much of a failure she was and maybe talk about how she worried about Kagura and if they were doing the right thing or on the right path.

Maybe wanted to say that she knew things and was having a bad feeling even though she knew it was wrong because she had been reborn in Fairy Tail and no one who was named had died in Fairy Tail- not even when it was obvious that they should have and that what his name who wrote it was just just going way into unrealism. 

 

Maybe she wanted to talk about the temple.

 

But there were too many words and just enough secrets and not enough courage that even though she wanted to talk she just couldn't. “Not now”.

 

“Didn’t think so”, Grant said with a slight smile, somehow not coming off as condescending, “if you do I’m normally here. If I’m not just ask. Someone ‘round here will know how to find me”. 

 

“Thanks”. It was a nice offer. Maybe someday. 

 

When the words lined up and the world made sense again.

 

“You don’t even need to talk to me either. Aira, the Guildmaster- even the girl your with, Kagura, I can tell. Something's eating you up and it won’t stop. Not if you keep hiding from it”.

 

Gisela wasn’t quite sure how to reply to that. She knew that hiding stuff wouldn’t help- there just was never time to face it.

 

Somehow she didn’t think that Grant would except that reasoning.

 

It was quiet after that, but for the first time since she had felt the storm it was a peaceful sort of silence.  

 

She had almost nodded off when the timer chimed. It was time to punch the bread down.

 

“Looks like it rose up well”, Grant said cheerfully, almost like the past conversation hadn’t happened, “now it's time to punch and shape, time to work the good little yeasties”. 

 

“Could you make bread speed up with time magic?”. Gisela wasn’t quite sure where that question came from.

 

“Looking at the Rune Knights mage pages. Maybe, not sure what the point would be through, seems like letting it rise on it's own time does bread just fine”.

 

“True”.

 

There was a bang. Gisela turned to face the door, magic at the ready.

 

It was Aira. Looking far more frazled than Gisela had ever seen her. For one thing, her bright red hair was in one giant poof. “I’m late again, aren't I?”.

 

Gisela tried not to tense, thinking of ways to explain that she had been coving for Aira and it was okay and Grant didn’t need to get mad and...

 

Grant just laughed. 

 

Right, people were much more chill in Fiore. It was okay that Aira had gotten up late.

 

A little while later it was time to go. Kagura had gotten up when the bread had about fifteen minutes left in the oven, and had immediately started asking Grant about the temple rumors. 

 

What they found out was interesting. First he circled a location about a few days away. It was at the foot of the mountains that divided the Waas Forrest from the Capital and the warmer areas of Fiore”.

 

“The temples round here, at least that's what I have heard, I don’t know how reliable the word is, things that everyone knows and frequently at least a little bit of. You guys looking”.

 

That was true. Part of Gisela started to worry that they were going on a wild goose chance but the Master of the Southern Wolves had given similar advice and it was something to go on. 

 

“There might be a sword there”. Gisela had the feeling that Kagura wanted to replace the might with a will be, like she could shape the entire world to her bidding with just a word and the world would bow because it knew what was best for it.

 

It was a rather impressive tone, most of Kagura’s were.

 

Gisela could see that Grant was looking at Kagura’s shealth. “The sword you got not fighting with you well”.

 

“Not strong enough”. 

 

“And you need a strong sword”. 

 

“I do. I need to keep looking for my brother- for that I need weapons that can keep up with me. I don’t have time for anything else. I will find my brother”.

 

Part of Gisela wanted to smirk and how quickly Grant changed the topic of conversation. Looked like he realized Kagura’s chat button. “From what I heard this woman was a swordsmith before she was a swordsman”.

 

“Women”.

 

“Same difference”, Grant said with a role of his eye. It was the first time that Gisela had been tempted to punch someone in a while, she pushed the impulse down where it belonged. “Thing is, no one is quite sure what made her go from Smith to fighter. Either way, if it's the Tomb of the Forger than there might be a sword there”.

 

“The Forger”. No one had mentioned a title before. That was interesting. Then again, It made sense that a bar keep would know the rumors of treasure in the area. Good for business and all that.

 

“Yeah. She lived back around a century ago. Her swords were one of the few things that surpast any relic of the past. Weapons of war and glory they were”. Here Grant laughed, “course, they are a thing of the past now. The forger started to wield her own blades, never passed down her art”.

 

“How did she die?”. Gisela covered her mouth, surprised at her second question. 

 

“Die?”. Grant looked at her confused. 

 

“Well”, Gisela said, reaching for the words to explain, “if we are going to a tomb that she will have died. If she died than there should be a reason why she died”, Gisela paused for a second, “right”, she added uncertainty.

 

Grant tapped his fingers on the counter. “The stories don’t say how she died, just that she did. Does this make you grave robbers?”.

 

That was something that Gisela had not thought about. They were robbing a tomb. Or taking something from a tomb. That totally made them grave robbers didn’t it. 

 

“The Master of the Southern Wolves got the information from treasure hunters, far as I know it's legal. Why”. Gisela had the feeling that Kagura was not going to let a petty thing such as the leaflisites of tomb robbing stop her from getting a new sword.

 

“Just wondering, ‘supose that if it's not in a graveyard it's probably legalish for a Mage to do. The laws here in Fiore are good to us, even if they are better if one belongs to a guild”.

 

“We are members of the Southern Wolves”, Kagura said sharply, a reminder that they were not looking for a new place.

 

“Point, point”, Grant said, raising his hands in mock surrender, or maybe in real surrender. Kagura could be scary when she got intense. “I was just pointing out the fact that at some point one might consider leaving a guild of fighters for a guild of fellow mages and`”. 

 

While he talked Gisela could see the annoyance build it Kagura’s posture, Gisela grasped wildly for something to say when the timer binged, interrupting their conversation.  

 

_ Safe.  _ Even so, Gisela did not try and start up a second conversation, the more things that were brought up the more chance of and even more firm turn down. 

 

That was something that Gisela wanted to avoid. The members of Unicorns Mane had been kind to them, that was not something that Gisela wanted to lose.

 

Then it was time to go. Gisela could see her breath mist in the chilly air, the cold front was still passing through and she was glad that they had gotten some slightly warmer clothes from the Wolves.

 

“Let's get back to business”, Kagura said as they walked away.

 

Gisela couldn’t help but look at at the warmly lit up building of Unicorns Mane. 

 

But Kagura was walking and Gisela followed. They had made it this far together and it wasn’t something that Gisela was willing to throw away. 

 

It was time to keep going.

 

The storm hit them once while they were on the road, it really wasn’t so bad through. Keeping a floating igloo thing made out of clouds while Kagura kept it warm worked. 

 

It felt like a weight of her chest when the front moved on, then Gisela could help Kagura to focus on finding the right sword.

 

Which involved too much talking to people but less threatening than Gisela had worried and only one ominous warning about people not coming back out of the cave. 

 

It wasn’t quite a tourist destination but Gisela was getting more and more unsure about the idea that there would be anything left for them in the aforementioned cave tomb place.

 

Then they stood in front of looming, dark entrance. It looked just like a tomb entrance was supposed to look. Gloomy and eerie, gaping wide open like the mouth of some giant snake, ready to devour anything that dared to step inside of it. 

 

Gisela had been able to talk Kagura out of entering last night by citing the need to prepare and talk to the locals. Quietly she had been hoping that by day the mouth of the cave would look at least a little more welcoming to the eye.

 

Of course, like many of Gisela’s hopes, that hope had been wrong. In some ways it looked even worse by the light of day- all the extra light did was show that the cavern was deep. And make it easier to feel the chill that rolled off it.

  
  
  
  



	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hope this reads well

Exploring tunnels was pretty much what Gisela expected it to be. Stalactites, stalagmites, and a still, dank atmosphere.

 

Even so, it really did not seem like the kind of place where an extremely older and valuable sword would be buried. At least, not without it being already taken by some prospecting treasure hunter like the ones they had spotted in town.

 

And then avoided. It wasn’t like they had been worth fighting or anything. And bribing someone to give a false lead was really easy.

 

Part of Gisela felt guilty that she had bribed someone, the rest of her was just worried that someone had done the same thing to them.

 

It could have been a whole round robin of bribery and then who would even know where the tunnel actually was.

 

Gisela pushed that thought out of her mind as she forged along after Kagura. If this tip didn’t pan out then they would find a new tip, a whole new sword to track down if that was what it came too.

 

Gisela hoped it didn’t, Kagura had seemed really excited about this sword and the rumors surrounding it. 

 

The story in tower was that it belonged to a hero from the age before guilds had settled down, back when there truly were parts of Fiore controlled by rogue mages, mad by the power they held. 

 

Apparently the hero buried here had fought to protect this place, just wandered in one day and kept watch. When she fell they had crafted a tomb for her and placed her sword- the one thing that she was truly protective of in with her.

 

It had been quite the touching story. Gisela wondered how much of it was true.

 

She had just been thinking about the whole legions falling to a single slash part when she felt her heart sink. They had reached the end of the cave system and were standing in the entrance to a room.

 

All there was was a coffin. 

 

“I’m sorry”, Gisela offered as they reached the end of the tunnel. She shivered slightly, and the glowing lacrima she carried caused there shadows to dance in the cave.

 

There was no sword here. Gisela watched Kagura pace back and forth before the wall, unsure of what to say.

 

It wasn’t like robbing a tomb was really the best way to go anyways. This hadn’t even been a well hidden tomb- not if they had been able to find it with a little money to grease the wheels. And there had been a dearth of traps as well.

 

It still sucked through, Gisela could tell from just how determined Kagura had been that she had her heart set on finding a new sword here.

 

“We can ask for permission to head out of the country, Caelum isn’t know for swords craft”,  _ and I can’t go back there anyways,  _ “but there are other countries and I’m sure that at least one of them will have good swords and-”.

 

“Quiet”, Kagura ordered sharply, as she paced back and forth, looking more like a caged tiger with every stride.

 

Gisela fought the temptation to meditate, to do something , anything, as she stood awkwardly against one wall- partly grateful everything down in cave was ice so there were no puddles to stand in.

 

She would have been standing in a puddle if one existed. She had that kind of luck.

 

Instead, Gisela waited.

 

Kagura was looking for something, that was obvious. Gisela was just not sure quite what she wanted to find. There were no real swords here, just the one etched in the wall above the coffin. 

 

Kagura came to a stop in front of the coffin. The cave felt oddly quiet without the sounds of her pacing. 

 

Kagura drew her sword. 

 

Gisela felt herself freeze. She knew that she should stop Kagura from doing whatever she was doing but she couldn’t.

 

Gisela had the feeling that if she said something, if she tried to stop Kagura than that would be it. 

 

So she didn’t.

Instead Gisela watched as Kagura carved around the etching of the sword with her own blade, doing something.

 

Kagura moved as if to resheath her sword. Then looked back at the wall. 

 

Gisela started moving forward- unsure as to why. Her mouth started working again, “what are you-”

 

The floor came tumbling out beneath them and they were in freefall. 

 

“Cloud”, Gisela screamed.She felt her internal organs return to their rightful places as she hit the cloud she had summoned. She raised her hand, glad the the light lacrima had a strap. Perfect for randomly disappearing floors.

 

Which happened. “Kagura”, she heard her own voice ask as she looked around the platform. 

 

“Gisela”.

 

“What did you just do?”. The floor was back above them and there was darkness below them. Her breath was a fog illuminated by the light of the lacrimas. Before Gisela had never been afraid of caves, now she was beginning to wonder if that was a fear she should acquire. 

 

“I triggered it. I realized that there was no way a powerful mage would make their mountain tomb so mundane. Then it was just a matter of figuring out how. She was a swordswomen so I figured that the sword had something to do with it. So I figured out that this was how- my steps sounded a little different on different parts of the cave and were acted on differently by gravity- something I could feel. The mechanism was pretty obvious once I put everything else together. The real tomb is down here”.

 

_ Why didn’t you warn my about the floor?  _ Gisela thought, glad that her magic was not telepathy. “And you knew I would catch us”.

 

“If not I was going to slow my fall with gravity, can you lower the cloud”.

 

“Sure. Do you think there will be anymore traps”.  _ This time it would be nice to have some warning.  _ She bit her tongue, keeping the rude comments inside. Kagura needed a new sword, it was no surprise that she was so focused on her best way of getting one. Besides, it was good. Kagura trusted that Gisela was catch her as the first plan. 

 

And Gisela had. She started to lower the cloud, once again glad she was out of surprise freefall.

 

It was like jumping off the tower- just without permission.  _ Looks like that was worth the time after all. _ Gisela wasn’t sure why she found that amusing as she refocused on the drop below them.

 

“Not sure. The trap door was meant to keep most people out, but if there was one trap than it would make sense for there to be more”.

 

“So be careful and go slow”.

 

“Exactly”. 

 

The walls of the drop they were in were definitely too smooth to be natural, while there were some signs of weathering and a few holes, most of it was sheer rock.

 

Had Gisela ever thought about just how glad she was that she had cloud magic. Because they had definitely gone beyond the point of painful death via hard surface, even for a mage. 

 

“I think we found the first trap”. Gisela had made a hole in her cloud, turning it into a fluffy donut to better watch for traps. As they got closer and closer down Gisela could see spikes illuminated by the lacrima. 

 

And they were exactly bare. Gisela could see at least on skeleton impaled of a stalagmite. Her swallow echoed throughout the drop.  

 

Gisela looked away. 

 

“Can you use your gravity to press down”, Gisela suggested as they gazed down the tunnel in front of them. “If there is anything pressure activated we could just set it off”.

 

“Or just fly over it”.

 

“Point”. 

 

Cloud magic was the best magic. Even through Gisela wasn’t the best mage and messed up a lot she could still do things like fly over likely to exist traps. Which was nice. Because traps. Gisela pushed the image of the skeleton from her mind. That was not something that she wanted to think about.

 

At all.  _ It wasn’t us.  _ She reminded herself,  _ it wasn’t us left below to die on a hunk of rock. We are okay. _

 

_ We can do this.  _

 

Their cloud continued down the tunnel, to improve it Gisela brought up walls of cloud on either side. And then a barrier in front and in the back. All in all there were just a few holes for sight by the time they truly took off.

 

“Just in case”. 

 

Kagura just shrugged before focusing on her hole.

 

They kept going. Gisela wasn’t sure how long they spent in the dark, the tunnel only light by Kagura’s light, Gisela having turned hers off to save energy, but it just kept going. 

 

They were lost. 

 

In a labyrinth. 

 

Joy. 

 

“And ideas?”. This was Kagura’s cave expedition, Gisela was just the transportation. 

 

“Let's start making marks”. 

 

“Be careful when you touch the wall”.

 

“I will be”. 

 

They kept going, loop after loop after loop. Gisela let herself fade, little by little, her focus joining the clouds which she commanded in an attempt to word of the panic she felt slowly over taking her.

 

_ How long had they been down for? _

 

She felt herself jolt to a stop, coming back to herself in steps. “What do you see?”, Gisela asked, hoping that she kept the desperation out of her voice. 

 

She was never going to complain about sunshine again. Ever. 

 

“I’m going to cut through this wall. See how many marks they are, we keep coming back here”.

 

“And that means cut through it?”. Gisela didn’t want to question Kagura, at the same time she rather liked the idea of not being crushed under a tonne of rubble under a mountain.

 

“It's a test of the sword”.

 

Gisela could already tell that there was no way she was talking Kagura out of it. That wall was coming down, cloudmobile or no.

 

“I’ll keep the clouds up”, Gisela offered as she made a hole, lighting up her lacrima. A thought hit her, “what happens with the debrises. When you hit this wall a lot of things are going to blow”.  _ And that's in the best case scenario.  _

 

“Gravity field. I’m going to push everything down”. 

 

There was something terrifying about gravity magic. Maybe it was in the way Kagura would just casually manipulate one of the most important forces in existence. It was really rather impressive.  

 

Unless she caved the ceiling in on them. Then it would be impressive in a rather painful and scary way.

 

_ It won’t come to that,  _ Gisela told herself as Kagura walked out of the cloudmobile and stood braced, both hands on her sword. 

 

There was an odd echo to the slash. Half the wall came tumbling down.

 

Then the other half cashed down with an echoing boom that almost shorted out her ears.

 

There was no dust in the air.

 

Nothing except the lights of their lacrimas. 

 

Then the cavern lit up. There was a shape striding towards them, silhouettes against the glare. Gisela couldn’t stop squinting at the sudden light and she could barely make out what it was.

 

Kagra strood forward, ready to meet the figure.

 

Gisela wanted to move after but was stopped by a wall. There were words on it but she couldn't read them.  _ A runic barrier.  _

 

One Gisela was not qualified to go through.

 

There was nothing she could do but watch as her eyes adjusted to the sudden light.

 

“Who are you”. Kagura demanded, her sword posed to strike. 

 

“Once upon a time”, a voice rang out. It was oth in Gisela’s head and not. The figure stuck and the fight was on. However, the voice did not stop. “The was a women. And like many other women she loved someone”

 

The blades were a dizzying dance and Gisela was not sure how they were able to fight and talk at the same time. 

 

“And who was this someone”, Kagura asked with a downward slash.

 

Kagura’s blow was knocked off by the figure, which Gisela could now see was a colorless woman, “she had starshine in her smile and fire in her movements. When I was with her I understood what it meant to be alive. She was my sun, my world, my huricane girl and I didn’t care what anyone else thought of us. She loved me and I loved her”. Those words were followed by a counter strike.

 

Part of Gisela wondered if they were really fighting or not. Or if this was some sort of weird bonding ritual for sword fighters.

 

The barrier still blocked her for going forward when one of the spirits strikes hit true, slashing into Kagura’s arm. 

 

“And what happened to your hurricane girl”, Kagura asked, Gisela could hear the tension in Kagura’s voice as she fell back.

 

“She died. I was making her a sword, one that would truly suite her. One that she could wield with pride as a guardian”.

 

“Guardian of what”, Kagura asked. Gisela could see Kagura digging her feet in, refusing to give anymore ground.

 

“The Tenrou Jade. That was her duty and I loved her for it. Loved her for how she chose, loved her for being devoted to all her promises”. 

 

“And so you forged her a sword”.

 

“The best work I ever made. How I slaved for the sword, and then, because a blade like the one I had crafted deserved a handle and a sheath to suite it. I left for the mainland with hope in my heart. She was not one for rings but I hoped that this blade would be a promise for our future together”.

 

Gisela didn’t know much about blades at all but even she could admit the sword looked impressive- and it was standing up to Kagura’s strikes, which was another mark to its strength. The story through, she had known that Kagura had a special sword but something about the monotone, almost distant way this spirit recited it was sending chills down her back.

 

“What happened to her”, Kagura said, all too levely, as she went on the attack.

 

The spirit began to laugh, it's broken bitter cackles echoing throughout the chamber as Kagura slashed at her. The first real, intense sound the apparition had made. “She was gone. Gone because of the monsters than took our treasure. I heard of her death through our magic and she was gone. Gone and murdered. I swore revenge”.

 

“Revenge” 

 

The baldes clashed and then they sprang apart once again. This time Gisela was staring at the almost transparent back of the spirit.

 

Even this close Gisela could not make out any color. It wasn’t monochrome either. She tried to pick out shades and colors but all her mind got back was blank. 

 

“This blades name is Archenemy, for on the day I first sheathed it I swore I would have my revenge”.

 

“It’s still in its sheath”. Gisela could hear the exhaustion in Kagura’s tone but hitting the barrier did nothing. 

 

This was not her fight.

 

“It is. For they died before I got to them. Then I wandered, my promise unfulfilled. For their death was not at my hand. Understand”.

 

“I do”.

 

Then there was no more talking. The only sounds was the clashing of blades. 

 

Then Kagura dropped her sword. 

 

Slid.

 

And grabbed Archenemy. 

 

The spirit vanished.

 

Just. 

 

Like.

 

That. 

 

The second she did the barrier disappeared, Gisela stumbled forward, the surface that she had been leaning on no longer there. 

 

When Gisela had managed to not fall, and to regain her balance, she looked back at Kagura. Thin cuts dotted her clothing with crimson echoes around them.

 

It looked like Kagura did not notice them at all, instead all her focus was taken up by the blade in her hands, surrounded by a pool of Kagura’s blood.

 

“Was that really her?”. Gisela couldn’t help but ask as she grabbed bandages out of her bag, offering them.

 

“An echo. Her magic was so bound to the sword by it's vows and crafting that she just sort of stayed- even once they buried her”.

 

It was all too easy to stay silent as they walked out. It was only once they reached the fake floor that Kagura spoke again. “This sword should break it”.

 

And it did, if Gisela had been impressed by what Kagura had done to the first wall it was nothing compared to how Kagura decimated this one, the rocks flying up as Gisela lifted her summoned cloud high.

 

She flew them out on that same cloud, not stopping until they were high in the midnight sky. It was still cold out, yes, but the air was fresh and clear, nothing like the still air of the dark tomb. 

 

_ I hope my body, my first one, does not rest somewhere like that. I would rather be ashes.  _

 

“You okay?”. Gisela gestured to Kagura’s cuts, the worst being the slice down her hands from catching the blade.

 

“I’m fine”.

 

They kept going. Gisela could feel the exhaustion creeping up on her but she didn’t want to land. It was so nice to be in the sky, it was never truly dark when she was in the air. 

 

“How did you know?”.

 

“Know?”.

 

“To take the blade”. 

 

“It was her tie. She laid claim to Archenemy, yes, but Archenemy laid claim to her. When I claimed Archenemy I broke that old magic”.

 

“So will you end up like her”.  _ Because I’m not going to let you. We can start researching now and find a way to- _

 

“No. She made Archenemy before she was Archenemy’s wielder. Something like that is an incredibly powerful tie. Add to that an unfulfilled vow and-”

 

“And you get an unreasted spirit. Do you think she found peace?”. There hadn’t even been emotion in her voice when she described the girl she loved.

 

“I hope so”.

 

They kept going in silent.

 

“Thank you”. 

 

Gisela blinked. “Why?”.

 

“You came with me. You didn’t have to, this was my quest, not yours, but you did anyways. And your clouds were good to have. So thanks”.

 

Gisela was glad that she had dark skin on a dark night. Kagura seeing her blush would just be embarrassing.  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	35. Chapter 35

There had been almost no news on Simon. 

 

Gisela ran a brush through her still damp hair. They had gotten in late last night and Gisela had been to tried to take a shower, something that she had just finished remedying. 

 

They had stopped in on the way back from getting Archenemy but it was slow going even when they got a lead.

 

Now the Tower of Heaven was fading from people's minds, and with it information on where people had gone. 

 

Gisela didn’t care all that much about the plot of Fairy Tail- from what she remembered it had been the kind of story where nobody died and everyone got their happy ending. Even if Gisela could have meddled with it somehow she wouldn’t. There would be no point.

 

She did wish that she knew something, anything that could help Kagura. The name Simon was familiar, she just didn’t know how or why.

 

_ What's the point of having read the story if you can’t remember anything helpful,  _ she thought, punctuating her annoyance with a particularly hard yank.

 

Which she promptly regretted as the brush got snagged on some of the snarls.

 

_ Not doing that again.  _

 

Gisela carefully twisted her hair back up into a bun- long hair was nice but she didn’t quite feel like she could defend it. Also when working out having hair on the back of her neck was really just an unpleasant source of heat that she would rather just avoid. 

 

Thus the bun.

 

It was just out of luck that she happened to glance at the sole, small out of the way mirror in the communal bathroom. 

 

She tilted her head. 

 

The reflection titled it's head.

 

Gisela waved.

 

It waved.

 

They blinked.

 

The face in the mirror looked worn, like it didn’t smile much. The skin was darker too, a sign of the time Gisela had spent in the sun. 

 

It's clothes weren’t designed for ceremony but for combat, sturdy boots and a tunic with loose pants.

 

It's eyes were the same blue green color but there was something different about them as well. Gisela leaned in, trying to get a closer look.

 

“Gisela?’. 

 

She jumped, looking for the person who called her name. Gisela could feel the heat rising to her face- why had she been so caught up in her own reflection?

 

“Maya”, she said, wincing at the awkwardness in her voice. 

 

“Ready to spar?”.

 

Right. That was what Gisela was supposed to be doing. “Yeah”. 

 

“Great”. 

 

Gisela couldn’t help but glance back, watching her reflection go the other way.

 

“So what's with the mirror?”.

 

“Mirror?”.   _ Nothing, nothing, nothing.  _ Gisela chanted to herself.

 

“Yeah, the whole stare at yourself in the mirror thing. I don’t think I’ve seen you looking the whole time you’ve been here”

 

They kept walking. “I’ve changed”. Gisela wasn’t sure where that had come from. Had she changed? 

 

Maya let out a barking laugh, “I’ll say, when you got here you could barely through a punch”.

 

“I’ve gotten better at that”.

 

“Still no backbone through”. And just like that the good feeling was gone.

 

“No backbone?”. There was a sort of cold feeling creeping along Gisela’s spine. 

 

“When you fight your fine, I mean you need a tons more practice and all but it's not like you trip over your own feet or something like that and all but out of combat it’s like you do nothing but agree. Kagura wants to do something- you do it. Someone wants time off from chores- you do that too. Mending, repares, whatever else is going down and needs fixing.  Seriously, Gisela, grow a backbone. Stop being so damn passive and polite all the time. It’s actually annoying”.

 

The numbness was back. Maya didn’t get it. Didn’t get that if Gisela didn’t help, didn’t fix things than she would be gone. Because she was a mage and didn’t have Kagura’s skill, didn’t have those prior bonds.

 

And even if she did it wouldn’t matter. People didn’t like you when you failed. Gisela remembered the temple. 

 

Remembered just how quickly she had to leave. How she didn’t get to say goodbye to Cadra and Iya or anyone. 

 

Remembered how everything had just fallen apart.

 

She had tried. It had been so hard once she remembered. So hard to find a way forward when all she wanted to do was go back to her home and to her friends and to her family. 

 

But she had been. She had loved the peace of the temple, loved the magic she was learning and the job she was doing.

 

It had been a home. Not her first home, nothing could have replaced her family from before, but it had been a home.

 

And Gisela hadn’t been good enough to keep it. 

 

She could see the growing annoyance in Maya’s face and wanted to explain but the lump was back in Gisela’s throat. 

 

“Lets just spar”.  Maya didn’t know and Gisela didn’t know how to form the words. 

 

Forming a fist was easier. 

 

Fighting Maya was like fighting a wall. She was lithe yes, but every part of her was pure muscle.  Maya moved when she wanted to move, how she wanted to move. 

 

Still after around a year of training with her Gisela did have some tricks. 

 

Even the Wass Forest grew warm in August and Gisela allowed herself to be lost in the rhythms of pure, physical combat. 

 

Maya won the spare in the end, no surprise, with magic  they were about equal but without it was always a matter of time until she ended up on her back, staring up at the sky before they went another round. 

 

And another. Then it was time for chores, Gisela checked the chart. Laundry. 

 

“Hey”, she said, nodding to Kagura as she picked up one of the big, wicker baskets full of dirty, sweaty fabric. 

 

Kagura smiled slightly, her equivalent to a wave as she carried her load to the river.

 

Vaguely Gisela remembered the washing machines of Before. She pushed that thought away, even if they did exist in Fiore the Southern Wolves wouldn’t use them- not when it was so much more exercise to have to wash them by hand. 

 

Normally Gisela could lose herself pretty easily in the motions of scrubbing fabric on the washboards.

 

This time all she could think about was her conversation with Maya. How she said that Gisela had no backbone.

 

Should she ask Kagura? What if it annoyed the other girl, what if Kagura didn’t want to deal with it or if it was a stupid question or a waste of time.

 

Gisela could feel the lump reforming in her throat. 

 

_ Now or never.  _

 

“Do you think I have no backbone?”. Gisela wasn’t how she got it out, it just popped out of her mouth as she helped Kagura to do the wash. 

 

“Do you?”. 

 

“What”.

 

“Do you think you have no backbone?”. 

 

“I do have a backbone, did you see me run in the temple or the last time we got sent to take down bandits”. That had been interesting. Sort of. There had been no mages and the group hadn’t been a match for Kagura’s sword play, even without her and Maya’s back up.

 

“Then why are you asking?”.

 

“I was talking to Maya earlier and she said I didn’t”. 

 

“Did she have a point?”. Kagura asked without looking up, still scrubbing the dirt out someone's clothes. 

 

“Maybe”. 

 

They kept washing, it wasn’t until they started to hang up clothes to dry that Gisela found her voice again. “I know I’ve been here with you for a year and all but they don’t really need me- or really want me around. I know I’m getting better and fighting and mixed with magic I’m pretty good but I mess up so much and all it takes is one mistake and people will see how bad at everything I am and then I will have to leave and I still don’t quite know where I would go”.

 

“One mistake”. Kagura was doing a lot of echoing. Then again, if this conversation was reversed Gisela wasn’t sure what she would be doing. 

 

But it wouldn’t. Because Kagura was strong and fast and smart and didn’t mess up like Gisela did.

 

Didn’t lose her home because she wasn’t good enough, didn’t do enough. 

 

She wanted to squeeze her hands. To make a fist. 

 

To bad she was hanging up the laundry. “I mispredicted a storm”. 

“They made you leave because of that”. The surprise in Kagura’s voice was both comforting and not. Nice, because it meant someone had faith in her skill, not because now she had to explain.

 

“There were these crystals”, Gisela could see her tower in her head, remember the pale, glowing mirror crystals that had helped her to focus, to reach out and to read the world. “And they broke. My mentor had to leave too but she trusted me- it was our job. We made sure that the weather predictions were good. And she trusted me. And I failed”.

 

The last line seemed to echo, even when there was no reason for it too. 

 

“It was both of your jobs through. Did she have to leave too?”.

 

“I don’t know”. Gisela didn’t remember much of what happened, just a blur. Like dust, just instead of being swept under the rug it had been swept out. 

 

And scattered.

 

She had visited them. Ca and Maape and Gastislion. They had said goodbye too her. Chiosca had told her not to come back.

 

Gisela hadn’t. She hoped Chiosca was happy now that Gisela was not causing problems anymore.

 

It was funny, she had spent so long pushing them away after her memories from Before clarified yet it hurt so much when they told her she had to leave.

 

She hadn’t seen Cadra or Ferntu or Erani. Not since before the storm.

 

She hadn't even tried to see how they were. Gisela hoped they were okay. 

 

“But it was the job you shared”.

 

“And I was the one who failed”. 

 

“Did you even talk back?”.

 

The flooding, people standing on their roofs, hoping for a way out. The pain and fear and loss and everything.

 

The ships that had struggled back in listing in to port, the lucky ones at least. Gisela wasn’t quite sure just how many ships- how many crews had been lost that day.

 

If Gisela had been better, if she had spoken then somehow things would have changed. 

 

“I wasn’t talking much after that”.

 

Kagura sighed. “Why didn’t you. If it was both of your jobs than-”.

 

“Why does it even matter. I was the one who messed up and lost my home. Now I just don’t want to have to lose it again”. It came out sharper than Gisela had expected. 

 

Sharper than Kagura had expected too, at least, going from the look on her face.

 

Gisela couldn’t help but giggle. It was a nice break from just how heavy the talk had gotten. 

 

Seeing Kagura’s confused glance she hastened to explain. “I think this is one of the deepest”, that was a word for it, right? Gisela wasn’t sure, “conversations we have had. Normally we just talk about news on your brother or what the next lead it or about fighting moves”.

 

“You don’t talk about yourself much”.

 

Gisela thought about that for a second.  “I really don’t”.

 

Kagura waited. 

 

Gisela wasn’t sure what else to say. She did have a backbone. She did talk back. Just, people talked about how it was okay to make mistakes and okay to mess up. And Kagura seemed to think that if she had just talked to more people than things would have been better.

 

That people would have understood more or something.

 

Gisela knew that wasn’t true. At least, not on the scale that she failed.

 

She clipped up someones sheet, “thats all of it, any plans for the rest of the day?”.

 

It was late afternoon but there still was some daylight left and dinner wasn’t for another few hours. 

 

In other words, they had time to burn.

 

“Want to spar?”, Kagura offered. 

 

“Sure. Are you going to use Archenemy?”.

 

“Do you want me too?”. 

 

Gisela debated. She had seen Kagura on the courts after she they had gotten back. Before Archenemy Kagura had been good, very good, yes but with it. With it, she was poetry in motion. 

 

It was obvious just how ill matched she had been to her other blades.

 

“No point in you not fighting at full strength”. 

 

“True”, Kagura said with one of the grins she reserved for fighting. “Lets go”.

 

If fighting Maya was like fighting a wall, Gisela still didn’t know what fighting Kagura would be like. 

 

Maybe fighting a magnet or something like that. 

 

The trick with fighting sword users was to avoid the blade. The problem with fighting Kagura was that she was more than willing to pull you towards the pointy part with her gravity. 

 

That made things quite a bit more difficult. 

 

Luckily Gisela had a few tricks of her own. The sticky mass of her clouds formed around them as Gisela lept from summoned platform to summoned platform, Kagura bringing them down as she jumped.

 

_ Careful.  _

 

The problem was hitting Kagura. 

 

Anything that came close to her could just as easily be deflected.

 

Gisela felt the gravity shift. Pulling her in.

 

_ Perfect. _

 

“Projectile”.

 

She felt the force of the blow that pushed her back, slamming her into the ground.

 

Luckily there was a layer of clouds. Felt felt herself bounce back up and the game began once more. 

 

It ended with a sword in Gisela’s face. “Good spar”, Kagura giving Gisela a hand up from the ground where she had been laying, her field of clouds having been lifted and then slashed to bits. 

 

She had tried to roll it into a ball but it hadn’t worked as well as Gisela had hoped. Not when it had crashed into her, courtesy of gravity manipulation. 

 

“Thanks”, Gisela would have sworn that she could hear her bones creaking as she got back up. Fast healing and all, fighting with someone who could manipulate gravity hurt.

 

They both turned at the sound of clapping. 

 

Gisela felt a blush start to rise as her stomach did a flip. Who had been watching them fight? Nervously she looked around.

 

The Master was looking at them. “That was very good you two”.

 

“Thanks?”, Gisela said, not certain of how she was supposed to react. 

 

“Now would you both fancy a spar?”. 

 

“What!”. Gisela winced at the pitch of her own voice. That had not been an offer that she was expecting to get.

 

“Sounds good to me”. Kagura said as she unsheathed her blade once again. 

 

They were both looking at Gisela again. “Let's do it”. 

 

“Magic allowed?”, Kagura asked.

 

“I think I can handle it”, the master agreed easily, her almond eyes seeming to twinkle as she threw off her black shawl before stretching her arms. 

 

Gisela could see some of the other wolves gathering on the sidelines, obviously wanting to see what was going down.

 

_ Here's to hoping we don’t fail to badly.  _ She had never seen the Master fight, yes, but one did not earn a title like “the master of the Southern Wolves”, without being deadly. 

 

“Start”. Someone yelled as the field dissolved into a blur of motion. Kagura lashed out with a sword strike as Gisela took to the sky, trying to see an opening.

 

It was over in minutes. Gisela wasn’t quite sure how- it was nice to see that Kagura was in just as bumped up a shape as her through. Equal opportunity pain and all that.

 

Gisela squinted at the Master, had she even started to sweat? 

 

_ Did we do okay? Was that enough, what’s going to happen now- _

 

“Not bad you two”.

 

“We lost”, Kagura said flatly. 

 

“I am the Master of the Southern Wolves, if I couldn’t beat two mages than I wouldn’t be worthy of my title”.

 

“Do you have any advice for us?”, Gisela asked hesitantly. Hopefully Kagura wasn’t too upset about losing. 

 

She just wasn’t as used to it as Gisela. Not having a Maya to pound her into the ground every day probably made it harder to deal when it did happen.

 

There was a rumbling noise. Gisela glanced around, trying to figure out where it came from.

 

It came again.

 

It was her own stomach. Gisela blushed under the weight of their stares. 

 

The Master just laughed, “let's talk over dinner”. 

 

“That works”, Kagura agreed.

 

It did nothing the dull the nerves Gisela felt. What did the Master think of her fighting?

 

“Right”, the Master said as they all sat down, “Kagura first. You’re overconfident. I know there aren’t any other sword users here that can match you when you go all out with magic but that's no reason to get cocky, I saw it in your fight with Gisela as well. You leave to many openings and lose control of the field that way”.

 

“Okay”. 

 

“Gisela”, she looked up as her name was called, heart hammering. “You have the opposite problem. Your first instinct is always to pull back. Even when you can fight you don’t. Not once during our spar did you attack directly. Cloud magic might not be as offensive as swords but you can do better than that”.

 

“Okay”, Gisela echoed Kagura. There really wasn’t that much else to say. 

 

Gisela was privately glad when the meal was over. While she did have a great respect for the Master and the way she ran the Southern Wolves the nerves that came from having to talk to her were just a little too much.

 

She practically fell into her bed as soon as she could. Sparing was nice but fighting with both Maya and Kagura in one day could be a lot, not even counting the Master crashing the party. 

 

Even so, sleep was a long time in coming. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And I'm breaking the 121,000 perfect word count :(

Daria town looks weird in the daylight. That’s Gisela’s first thought as they head over on a rare day off.

 

It's fall, most of the Waas Forest is evergreen but the occasional pop of bright red or burning orange keeps things interesting on the walk over.

 

The walk.

 

Which gave Gisela far too much time to think. Normally Gisela loved thinking, she was all for it.

 

But not. 

 

_ I’m nervous. Because I haven't been back here since Aki and Aiko got kidnapped and... _

 

She had been trying to be more honest with herself since they got back, since they spared with the Master. And part of that is figuring out how she really feels about things.

 

And why she feels that way.

 

So here she is, looking at Daria Town once again and trying to figure out her feelings.

 

“It's less destroyed than I thought it would be”. It is. Somehow in her head it was a damaged wreck of a place, not the small but neat looking town.

 

Still the mess of failure.

 

It's not.

 

“Nope”, Maya said, popping in p in a way that was surprisingly cheerful, “they’ve been built back up for a while now”.

 

“Oh”. It makes sense. Nothing stays the way it was, held in time. Gisela can’t help the way her thoughts drift to everyone left behind. 

 

To Before.

 

But not just that.

 

She breathes. 

 

Those thoughts go into the box.  _ I am going to have a nice day today,  _ she reminds herself. Maybe if she thinks it hard enough it will be true.

 

“Lets go than”, Kagura said. 

 

It takes about five minutes from when they get into town for a big question to hit Gisela. “What do we do here?”. 

 

They all freeze. 

 

Maya grins. “Normally I go and get drunk”.

 

“You get drunk”. Gisela can hear just how flat her voice is. 

 

Because Maya gets drunk. Why would she want to do that?

 

“And I grab some more to bring back. Alcohol makes a great bribe”. 

 

“When did this start?”, Kagura interjects.

 

“A bit after you left. I had to do something to occupy my time”.  She grins as she says it but even Gisela can hear the blade hidden under those words. 

 

“Is there anything else we can do?”. Gisela hopes she doesn’t sound too plaintive. 

 

“We can look around, if you want I can introduce you to people”.

 

“What about Kagura”. 

 

“I’ve already been here. Not for a while through”. 

 

“Right”.  _ Stupid. Kagura was a member before, why did you forget that. Of course she had been here. _

 

It turns out that Maya’s other idea is stopping at the one and only clothing store in town. 

 

Clothing shopping.

 

Her eternal enemy. Gisela missed online services where she could just order multiples of the same thing. 

 

To be fair all her clothes were kind of the same, anything original that she had gotten for the Oaken Paths long since gone, but that really just proved her point of how much more convenient it was that way.

 

She had never been a clothes shopping kind of person.

 

Not even Before.

 

Gisela bit her tongue to stop from asking if there was anything else they could do. She had seen how small this place was. 

 

“They sell the good stuff here, it's not cheap but it's good”, Maya said as she guides them, well Gisela, over.

 

“Mage grade?”, Kagura asked, “they didn’t have that last time I was here”.

 

“I think they are diversifying their stock”, Maya put in.

 

Mage grade clothing was something Gisela had learned about in Caelum. From Chiosca. It was why they had contracts with Fiore at all.

 

Otherwise Gisela was certain there was no way Chiosca would have gone to Fiore. But mage grade fabric was made near mages.

 

And it was a wonderful fabric. 

 

Of type of cloth really, cheap mage grade was solid colors. The more expensive bolts that Gisela remembered had been thin and translucent.

 

Or shimmery.

 

That had been a really pretty bolt. Much nicer then the rest of the linens that Chiosca had from Caelum.

 

Mage grade fabric really was a wonderful thing. 

 

Study fabric that was resistant to just about anything. The perfect thing for a mage to wear.

 

Vaguely, Gisela wondered if the reason Lucy’s clothes were always getting ripped or ruined was because she didn’t buy the right fabric. 

 

_ Maybe she didn’t have enough money or something.  _ Gisela shook the thought loose from her head, why did she even remember Lucy’s clothing problems when she couldn’t think of anything good to help her friend.

 

“Let's go then”. It sounded much more militant that Gisela expected. 

 

The shop owner, Hikari Amano immediately envelopes Maya in a whirl of clothes while Gisela amuses herself with judging the quality of fabrics.

 

Something that her young life being spent in a family that runs a fabric business definitely prepared her for.   

 

She grabbed one of Maya’s cast off shirts and held it up to the light. It was a crop top with a gauzy, transparent fabric where a boob window might have gone. 

 

It was a cotton blend, soft and light but with enough stretch to be form fitting. Gisela couldn’t help but been impressed when she held it up to the light. 

 

It wasn’t opaque, no, but it was certainly good quality cotton.

 

“What are you doing just sitting down”, the shop owner asked her as Gisela put the top down.

 

“Waiting”.

 

“Well we can’t have that, you need to try something on”. 

 

Hikari was a force of nature, Gisela found herself wondering if the women had some sort of speed magic with how quickly items were being shoved into her hands. 

 

Before she knew it, Gisela had been hustled off to one of the changing rooms. 

 

There was a full length mirror. 

 

Gisela forced herself to ignore it as she changed out of her nice, simple with tunic and pants and unlaced her boots.

 

Then she looked at the clothes she had been giving. 

 

Gisela tried the door.

 

It wouldn’t more. 

 

She tried harder.

 

“Don’t come out without trying it on. I know you haven't been there long enough”, Maya called out, her voice slightly muffled by the door. 

 

_ I could use magic.  _ Gisela thought, somewhat rebelliously, as she stared at the offending piece of wood. It wasn’t like it could stop her if she really wanted to get out. 

 

But Maya and Kagura were out there and they would be disappointed.

 

It didn’t fit quite right. The women Gisela had seen since she came to Fiore might not have looked like badly proportioned anime women, all boobs and hips and nothing else, but they did tend to have larger chests than Gisela remembered as being average before.

 

Thankfully Gisela got to be the exception to that. 

 

If there was one thing being born in Caelum had saved her from it was having to deal with who knows what cup breasts.

 

The problem is that Gisela is sure that this top swoops way too low. Even looking at it the neck, or what she thinks is the neck at least, is all plunge.

 

_ Nowhere to go but through,  _ Gisela reminds herself, calling back the old mantra.

 

And it's hard to get on. The top has all these weird cut aways that Gisela just can’t figure out. Twins at least she puts her next through the wrong hole in the fabric.

 

Her bun catches once as she ends up running her hands through her hair, quickly trying to detangle it.

 

Finally she got the top on.

 

Then came the second article of clothing.

 

The skirt sends odd shivers up Gisela’s body as she puts it on.  _ Funny,  _ Gisela thought vaguely as she made sure that the hidden buttons were done properly,  _ I thought most of the fabric here was good quality. I shouldn’t be itching like this.  _

 

She turned to face herself in the mirror. 

 

Nausea rose up, she tasted bile in the back of her mouth, worse than it had been in years.

 

_ This isn’t me. Either of me.  _

 

It's not.

 

The top goes far to low and she can see where her boobs start, her waist is showing as well. 

 

_ Not right not rightnot rightnotright,  _ singings through her mind as she stared at the mirror. 

 

This wasn’t who they were.

 

“Come on out now, I want to see how it fits”.  _ That's Maya,  _ Gisela thinks distantly.  _ Maya wants to see what I look like.  _

 

She puts her hand back on the cool, wooden door knob.

 

All she needs to do is turn it.

 

But she can’t.

 

Somehow the will it takes to open the door is gone. But she knows that these clothes aren’t right.

 

She looked back in the mirror. 

 

_ Not right not right not right not right. _

 

“I’m changing back. It doesn’t fit right”. 

 

“It can’t be that-”. Gisela tuned out Maya’s calls as she yanked the shirt of her head, headless of her hair catching. Then it was a rush to unbutton the skirt, quickly swapping everything for the much more wearable clothes that she came in. 

 

Carefully she keeps her eyes away from the mirror as she grabbed the cast off clothes, in her hands the fabric is soft and cool, not itching like it was when she tried to wear it.

 

This time she twists the door knob as hard as she can, barely restaining herself throwing her body out of that room.

 

Maya is pouting at her from the outside. “But you would have looked so cute”.

 

“Sorry”, Gisela said, speaking solidly to try and hide her breathlessness. “Did you find anything that you liked?”. She added with a glance. Kagura was in her normal outfit but Maya-

 

“Yep”. Maya twirled, showing off the spin of the skirt. “I think it will be good for special occasions”.

“It looks good on you”.  _ Praise is a good distraction.  _ Gisela could figure out what was wrong with those clothes later.

XXX

It was September first. Otherwise known as Gisela’s sixteenth birthday. 

 

She was getting old. 

 

In two more years she would be… Gisela forced herself away from that thought. People were finally not treating her like a child. That was the important part of the entire experience. 

 

Besides, this was only partly a birthday party for her.

 

It was luck, really. The Wolves had a birthday party for everyone born in that month on the first of the month. The fact that it was Gisela’s actual birthday was just coincidental. 

 

Especially because parties really weren’t her thing. Especially not parties with alcohol. 

 

Gisela stayed firmly planted in her corner of the hall as she waved her hand in front of her nose, trying to get the smell to go somewhere else. 

 

Her wish was granted. Sort of. It was Daisuke, the younger Vanish Brother’s birthday month too and the party had been going on long enough for him to get tipsy.

 

She could see it in the pink flush that his face had taken on. Not to mention the weird, wobbling dance that he had started to do on the table. 

 

_ Why was he dancing on the table?  _ And to top it off she saw him reaching for his weapon.  __

 

Gisela could tell this was going nowhere good fast. 

 

She glanced around, looking for allies.

 

And winced.

 

Kagura was doing a conga line can can hybrid dance that looked linked arm in leg with Maya and a few of the other fighters. They looked only slightly less crazy than Phil on the table.

 

Hopefully Gisela tried to see what the Master was doing. Surely she would put a stop too it. 

 

Nope. Gisela felt something in her break when she saw the Master but in a link arms with Maya, throwing her lot in with the can line what ever it should be called dancers.

 

Gisela really wished she had brain bleach.

 

Or magic brain eraser. Anything to get the drunk dancing out of her head. 

 

She looked around one more time. Hoping there was somebody else that was still somewhat sane. She wasn’t fussy, she just wanted one ally against the chaos that was unfolding.

 

_ I knew I should have avoided this party.  _ Gisela scolded herself.  _ Why did I even mention my birthday was in September. It's not like anyone knows what Kagura’s birthday is. _

 

_ But no. I had to mention my birthday and that no one really celebrated at the temple and then it was all, “but Gisela it's your party too and you have to be there” and “you only turn sixteen once”, which I know for a fact is untrue.  _

 

_ But I came anyways.  _

 

_ Because I have known common sense.  _

 

Gisela twisted herself out of the way, pulling herself back into her nook just as a set of ballistic tomatoes flew over head, smacking into the wall with impressive force before sliding down with an odd, slurping noise. 

 

It was almost fascinating, watching the gooey mess expand outside of what had been the last of the seasons fresh fruit.

 

Or was it a vegetable.

 

_ Doesn’t matter really.  _

 

It was official. Gisela made bad life choices. 

 

Horrible ones. 

 

No good very bad awful life choices. 

 

Like coming to parties where everyone got drunk. 

 

_ At least I brought my own drink.  _ Thinking back, that was probably where everyone else went wrong. Gisela was pretty sure that she had spotted at least three separate people spiking the punch.

 

And if she had seen three separate people spike the drink then that meant there were probably more people who she hadn’t seen.

 

Gisela hunkered down once more in her corner as chaotic winds swept through the hall,  _ Daisuke’s fault,  _ she thought offhandedly. 

 

The party continued. 

 

Somehow Gisela must have dozed off in her little niche, hiding from the shenanigans of the night before. 

 

The groans were what woke her the next morning. That and the moans of suffering. 

 

Gisela restrained the temptation to go in for some payback with the pots and pans. 

 

She didn’t really want them to suffer. Besides, she wasn’t sure if that would be counted as going to far. 

 

Because even if they were ridiculous drunkards who got into birthday party chaos Gisela liked it here.

 

She didn’t want to leave.

 

Not yet at least.

XXX

“Eric?”. Gisela blinked, when she had heard there was a group platoon thing of Rune Knights coming she hadn’t expected there to be anyone she knew in it.

 

“Gisela. Kagura”, he said with a formal nod as he drew them to the side. “I was hoping that I would see you two hear”.

 

“You too”, Gisela repield, trying to be friendly even if she wasn’t quite sure why he would seek them out. Yes the terms they parted on weren’t bad, but they hadn’t really been friends either.

 

And it had been way over a year since they had seen him. 

 

“I, well here”, he said, offering a scroll to Kagura. “It's a list of names and their registration pictures of mages from the Tower of Heaven. I couldn’t get them to release anything like their locations but it is a starting point. Sorry it took me so long to get it. You wouldn’t believe the red tape I had to deal with, not to mention finding a way to get permission to deliver it up here. It's why I ended up with this convoy”.

 

“Paper work”, Gisela said, aiming to sound sympathetic before glancing a Kagura. She was holding the lift far more gently than Gisela had ever seen her hold anything else.

 

Kagura looked up, gratitude obvious on her face. “Thank you”. Gisela was pretty sure that if Kagura was anyone else than she would have been hugging the Rune Knight.

 

XXX

 

For all that the list had given hope, it wasn’t the be all end all.

 

“My brothers not on here”, Kagura said as she handed the paper over. 

 

“It could just be he did not register”, Gisela offered, trying to be comforting.

 

It wasn’t her strong point. 

XXX

 

Slowly Gisela found herself spending less and less time at the compound, training. 

 

Part of it was that with the list, Kagura’s determination to search had been awakened. But as April turned to May and they fought another group of raiders that had made there way down Seven she had a realization.

 

It was her too. 

 

The compound was nice, yes, but it was also getting slightly… boring. 

 

Other than the Master and Kagura there was no one who could really give her the practice she needed.

 

The other members who could truly fight mages were traveling.

 

Maya was close but after so long of nearly only sparing with her she was getting predictable.

 

Even so, the stability was nice.  

 

Gisela waved up at the wall as it came into view.

 

It was June and they had just finished another job. She hadn’t expected Maya to drag them into the main hall where there was a viewing lacrima set up.

 

“Whats going on?”. This was not normal.

 

“It's the Grand Magic Games, shouldn't you mages be all excited about those?”.

 

Gisela wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, there was no time either as Maya dragged her into a seat, Kagura following along calmly. 

 

“Bets you two?”, Maya asked cheerfully, “the prelims are about to begin- it's probably going to be some sort of a maze, the first round normally is. If you want a safe bet then Saber Tooth is good. Fairy Tail if you want a last place squeak by”.

 

“No thanks”, Kagura said with a shrug.

 

“Gisela”.

 

“Me neither”.  It was the Grand Magic Games in real life. Gisela wasn’t sure how to focus on anything but that.

 

The screen burst into colors, as a pumpkin headed person started to explain the rules. Maya had been right, it would be a maze. 

 

This time a relay maze with teams handing batons off to one another at different points. It had under water sections along with a tree top section and an all terrain section. 

 

It was amazing to watch, even so Gisela couldn’t help but think of how she would navigate the maze, how she would have done in the maze.

 

It looked hard yes, Gisela could tell from how many of the contestants were flailing around or getting stuck in mud pits.

 

It also looked exciting. 

 

Then there was sharp pressure on her shoulder. “Look”, Kagura exclaimed, pointing to a girl who had just gotten tangled up in a ball of vines.

 

She looked vaguely familiar. “You know her”, Gisela whispered back.

 

“She’s on my list. Milinana, she’s at Mermaid Heel”. 

 

“Are we going to go check it out?”. 

 

“That's the plan”. 

 

The game continued.

XXX 

  
  
  


Leaving felt almost alien. 

 

It was the time involved.

 

It's that people are helping them pack up. That Maya is giving directions and the Vanish Brothers are skulking in the background. Muttering about how they don’t have to leave.

 

This time Gisela had the feeling that Kagura and her were not coming back.

 

Something the Master confirmed. “You two are ready for adventure. I understand you have more solid leads on that brother of yours”, she added, pointing to Kagura. “And you”, she continued, pointing to Gisela, “need to think about what you want. We’ve given you a start, now you need to decide where you want to take it”. 

 

“We could come back through?”, Gisela had asked in a small voice.

 

“If you need too”. 

 

And that was that, they had told Maya and started packing. By the start of July there was nothing else to do but leave.

 


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter because it was the best cut off point. Also jet lag.

Traveling took on a different intensity with the new lead. Milliana. Gisela was pretty sure that she liked cats. 

 

A lot. 

 

Something she totally understood. 

 

And that she would eventually wear a totally fan service costume because shonen manga was like that.

 

But none of that was really relevant to the plan. The fact that both Milliana and Kagura were characters she remembered more or less from the manga meant that it was likely she knew something. 

 

Gisela hoped it was good news. She had had a brother Before, they hadn’t been the closest, no, but even so, she missed him.

 

_ It will go well. It’s Fairy Tail. All we have to do it follow the trail, and we are doing that as fast as we can. _

 

Gisela knew that if not for the exhaustion factor they would be flying. As it was they woke early in the morning and walked until just before the sun set, leaving only the time necessary for setting up a quick camp. 

 

“Did I ever tell you about Rosemary Village?”, came the quiet question as they sat by the fire, eating camp rations.

 

“Is that where you’re from”.

 

“Before they came and burned it down. It was”, she paused for a second, searching for a word, “nice. It was a farming village so the adults would be gone all day. I would go out and play with the other kids. Simon was great. Most of the older siblings wouldn’t let us come along but he would. He always did his best to include me”. 

 

“Sounds nice. Do you want to go back there once you find Simon?”.

 

Kagura thought about it for a moment. “No. I like fighting and I like my swords and my magic. I just want to have my family as well. Do you want to go back home?”.

 

“I can’t go back home”. Let Kagura assume she meant Caelum, it was true either way.

 

Of course, saying something like that was a great way to kill the conversation, and true to form that one was over.

Still, it was a break from what was otherwise a monotony of traveling.

 

It was kind of nice to be on the road with a new destination. With a new plan. Gisela had liked working with the Southern Wolves, yes. But it was interesting to leave the territory that they had worked in for the past year or so.

 

It was also getting warmer. Gisela wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that.

 

But there were no bandits on the route home, something Gisela felt almost proud of. Even though she knew that she hadn’t really taken care of all the bandits she had certainly fought some of them.

 

And even better, when they took the railway the final step of the way to Dawn City there were no hold ups or raids on the train. 

 

Because apparently those were a problem. Gisela vaguely remembered people worrying about them from her first train ride. 

 

Luckily there were no bandits on this train ride either. Gisela wondered if that was because this was a passenger train and didn’t have that many valuable things on it. 

 

Then she wondered if people had enough valuable things on them to make it worth the risk.

 

She shoved that through to the back of her head. It didn’t really matter either way.  It was just one less thing to deal with before Kagura got to see her brother again. 

 

Dawn City was loud. That was Gisela’s first impression as she stood on the steps of the station, glancing around for some sort of cover.

 

The smell of the sea hung heavily in the air, another uncomfortable reminder. Gisela forced her mind away from a very different port city.

 

Even if this one wasn’t quite pleasant either.

 

There were just so many people.  _ How are we supposed to find our way around in this.  _ Gisela thought wildly.

 

“There's the map” Kagura said as she started walking. 

 

_ That's why Kagura is the sensible one.  _ Gisela tried not to flinch as a stranger brushed past her, instead focusing on the different districts. “I think it's there?”, she offered, pointing to an ornate symbol. It looked like it had been added into the old map.

 

“Let's get going”.

 

Somehow, it was easier to navigate a forest than a city. Gisela was tempted to go up into the air and get an eagle eyed view, however there were rules about magic use in cities and as a non guild aligned mage in a guild claimed city Gisela didn’t feel like pushing it.

 

It was lucky they had gotten to Dawn City so early in the morning, if this was how crowded the train station was now, Gisela had absolutely no desire to see what it would be like later. 

 

It was a relief when they got closer to the sea, the cool breeze that came off the water was the first comfort since they had gotten to the city.

 

And the crowds had died down as well, outside of the funnel of people  created by the arrival of a train the city felt far more spacious. 

 

The city wasn’t even too hard to navigate in the end either. By the time they made it to the guild hall Gisela was feeling cautiously optimistic about how the rest of the day was going to go.

 

The idea that they could know where Simon was in less than an hour was exhilarating, even after all the false leads. 

 

Gisela wasn’t quite sure what she had expected from the Guild Hall of Mermaid Heel. Unicorn's Mane was a simple bar, so maybe something like that?

 

No. 

 

Mermaid Heel’s building had that strange effect of something new trying to look old. If Gisela focused on the wooden posts she could see the artificial weathering. Even so, the thatched roof of the mostly open restaurant bar did create a beachy feel.

 

Inside the building part Gisela was pretty sure she would find the job board and all that. It was interesting how every guild she had seen, all two of the, had restaurants. From what she remembered Fairy Tail had had a bar as well. 

 

“Can I help you two? If you are here to make a job request than I can put you on the list”, a voice called out.

 

“I’m here to talk to Milliana”, Kagura replied as Gisela saw the owner of the voice. It was a green haired girl in a skin tight,  _ what fabric did she use,  _ costume 

 

“Why?”. 

 

“I think she might know where my brother is”.

 

The girl seemed to think about it for a moment before shrugging, “Milliana has the afternoon shift, you can probably catch her in a few hours.''

 

“Thanks”. 

 

“Want anything to drink or eat, our prices are pretty reasonable and our menu’s right over there”, she offered with a grin. 

 

Gisela was about to say know when her stomach disagreed. Loudly. 

 

Luckily she only had about two seconds of humiliation before Kagura’s joined in. 

 

“I’ll take that as a yes”, the green haired girl said as she walked back to the counter. “So what will it be?”.

 

“I’ll take a scone”, Gisela said, pointing to the pastry case as Kagura glanced at the menu before deciding to do the same. 

 

Apparently they were more interesting than manning the counter when there was no one else around. 

 

“So what's your stories”, the girl, Gisela really needed to ask her name and to do that she needed to find a way to fit it into the already started conversation, asked.

 

“We’re looking for my brother. I was able to get a list of people who might have known him and Milliana was on it so we came here to talk to her. I’m Kagura  [ Mikazuchi ](https://fairytail.fandom.com/wiki/Kagura_Mikazuchi) . '' Apparently Kagura had noticed the lack of names too, that was nice. 

 

“Gisela”.  

 

“No last name?”.

 

“No last name. You?. ”Hopefully that went over well. People were hard but she seemed friendly and-

 

“Araña Webb, mage of Mermaid Heel”, she proclaimed proudly.

 

Gisela reached back into her memory, trying to see if she remembered someone with that name. 

 

Blank. 

 

That probably just meant she was a minor character if she had been mentioned at all. Not for the first time Gisela wished she had the story memorized. It would have made her life so much easier if she had more than a rough outline of major events.

 

But she didn’t.

 

The silence was getting heavy. “Nice to meet you”, Gisela offered, reaching out with her hand before she remembered to bow. 

 

Araña grabbed it gracefully shaking for just a second longer than what Gisela would have preferred before releasing. “Nice to meet you too. Is the scone good? Those are Terry’s specialty and she was trying a new recipe”. 

 

“They have a nice crumb too them”, Gisela offered as she finished the last bite of her chocolate chip pastry. “There is a bit too much sugar for me but that's just a personal preference. I tend not to like sweet things”.

 

“Do you want to try my soup than?”.

 

“Your soup?”. 

 

“Yeah. It's a natto oden. I really love oden and wanted to try and make my own new type. How about it?”.

 

Gisela dithered. Oden was sea food, not one of her great loves. But Araña really wanted her to try it and- 

 

Gisela thought of an out. Or at least a way around. Or a better way through it. “Kagura? You still hungry.

 

“A little. Why”.

 

It was funny how spacy Kagura was being. Normally she paid way more attention. Gisela was tempted to be sympathetic. Even so, she really didn’t want to have to try this soup alone.  _ Time to close the trap.  _ “Then lets try it together”. If she was going down than so was Kagura. 

 

Kagura started to say something when Araña summsalted out of her chair and raced into the back room. Gisela was pretty sure she was launched web helping her with the movement. 

 

“We just agreed to try Araña’s oden”, Gisela explained, having decided to take pity on her zoned out friend. 

 

“What type?”.

 

“Natto apparently”.

 

“I haven't had natto for awhile. This should be interesting. 

 

Gisela was just about to ask what exactly natto was when Araña arrived back with two smallish bowls. 

 

Out of the corner of her eye Gisela saw someone else take up the counter. Another member of Mermaid Heel?

 

“Here you two go”, Araña practically trilled before taking her own seat at the table, resting her head on her hands as she watched them. 

 

Gisela looked at the bowl of soup in her hand.

 

It looked… interesting. Sort of gloopy and lumpy. And slimey. 

 

She looked at Kagura.

 

Looked at Araña.

 

_ Here goes nothing.  _

 

She looked away from the soup as she brought the spoonful up to her mouth.

 

The taste was not too bad. A bit to fishy and a bit too pickley but edible.

 

It was the texture that got her. Something about the soup was just, stringy. Like eating half dissolved pasta in a bowl of fish something and as soon as she had swallowed the broth it started to glue her mouth together as a funky aftertaste got even more pungent.

 

Luckily she had some water, otherwise Gisela suspected that her mouth would have been glued shut permanently.

 

Which actually might not have been a bad thing. 

 

_ Think of something nice to say thing of something nice to say. _

 

“It’s not bad”, Gisela offered, hoping it didn’t sound too much like a question. “I’m not a huge fan of natto”, that was probably true, “and I think that is part of the problem”. Gisela braced herself. She didn’t want to hurt Araña. It just… wasn’t to her taste. That was all.

 

“The stringiness is too much”. 

 

Araña just huffed. “I’ve been getting that a lot. Thanks for trying it”.

 

“Really. Thanks. Meant I didn’t have to try this time”. A voice shouted over too them.

 

“Thanks a lot Terry”, Araña shouted back, sounding rather huffy. Glancing over her shoulder Gisela could see a red haired girl in a corset outfit. 

 

It looked vaguely like a maid’s costume. Just a bit more upscale. 

 

Hopefully she could still breathe. 

 

“You’re welcome”, she called back cheerfully. “So who are our guests”. 

 

“Gisela and Kagura. They’re here to talk with Milliana”.

 

“Cool”, Terry looked cheerfully at the two of them. “Nice to meet you both”, before she refocused on Araña, “and you get to work. We have customers now”. 

 

“Coming, coming”. 

 

Gisela watched Kagura’s intense scrutiny of the faces of the new group.

 

It was a motley family. Two kids darted around as the parents found a table. Thankfully they did not try and interact.  

 

None of them were Milliana. 

 

Gisela looked down at the soup still in front of her debating if she was desperate enough or not to take another drink.

 

_ Not quite yet. Not for a while yet. _

 

For all that Mermaid Heel was a new guild, the place looked to be pretty popular. There was a steady stream of people heading in and out. 

 

The house wasn’t quiet full no, but it was obvious that the only reason that it was as empty as it had been was the early hour.

 

Of course, this had the side effect of Kagura not being able to grill anyone on when Milliana would get there.

 

_ Through it looks like Kagura might not be the only person annoyed by that.  _ Gisela thought, slightly amused by Kagura’s tapping fingers.

 

She probably wasn’t even aware that she was doing it.

 

About thirty minutes afternoon a tan blur rushed into the space. Gisela recognized that face. It was Milliana. 

 

Kagura got up to try and talk to her. She was blocked by the big party that came through.

 

She got up to try again.

 

Araña darted over. “Wait till everything is over. I think this is going to be a long conversation and I doubt the time to have it is during the lunch rush”. Then she was heading off again to get another tables order.

 

“We’re almost there”. Gisela said awkwardly, trying to comfort Kagura.

 

Now the seconds ticked by even slower as Gisela watched Kagura watch Milliana. It was easy to see where the mage was, all Gisela had to do was follow the direction of Kagura’s eyes.

 

Really Gisela actually was forming quite a respect for Millianna. For all that she had glanced over at Kagura a few times she didn’t see all that bothered by the stareing.

 

At least it wasn’t glaring. Part of Gisela’s mind flashed back to the time they were tracking a bandit group and Kagura had spent an hour glowing at the barkeep to get them to spin.

 

Gisela had spent that same hour standing like a rock in the background, trying not to disturb the match.

 

It had worked, yes. It still was one of the most awkward yet intense hours in Gisela’s life. 

 

So Gisela was both very glad that Kagura was limiting herself to staring.

 

She was even more glad when Milliana came over. 

 

“So what can I help you with nya~”. 

 

The nya sounded totally tacked on. Gisela normally liked cats, loved cats in fact but even she had to admit that Milliana looked a bit over the top. The cat ears looked realistic, even this close up.

 

“Do you know anyone named Simon. He was from Rosemary Village and taken to the Tower of-”.

 

Gisela had heard the spiel before. Instead of listening to Kagura explain who Simon was she watched Millianna.

 

It was like a switch had been flipped. One second Millianna had been almost bouncing in her chair, ears twitching and face turing at every motion.

 

The next she was stock still. 

 

“Why are you asking”.

 

“He’s my brother. Why, do you know where he is? Is he around here?”. 

 

Gisela could tell from her posture that Kagura wanted to get up and start looking. No one had reacted like this before.

 

Gisela felt her stomach start to turn. The back of her neck felt hot again, even though noon was an hour back.  _ Why do I feel nauseous.   _

 

Milliana looked frozen as Kagura grew quiet. 

 

“I’m sorry”. 

 

“No”.

 

“I’m sorry”.

 

“He can’t be. How could he be”.

 

“He’s dead”.

 

For a moment it only felt like the bottom dropped out, than it really did. The world seemed to flip as Kagura cried, her normally carefully controlled powers going haywire. 

 

“He’s not. Simons not dead”. Kagura yelled. 

 

Gisela tried to fight against gravity but it was too much. The world had dissolved into noise and color and light and sound.

 

Simon was dead. 

 

All too late Gisela remembered. That was why Kagura was on a revenge kick when the GMG started.

 

Simon had died and she wanted to kill Jellal in return. 

 

_ It's not fair.  _ Gisela wanted to scream as she was whirled around by the gravity magic.  _ No one else died in Fairy Tail. Why does it have to be her brother. _

 

_ Kagura.  _

 

Gisela tried to breath. She needed to talk to Kagura. 

 

Her focus was broken by a starburst a pain. A chair had just slammed into her, breaking against her arm.

 

A table came next. All of Gisela’s focus transferred to dodging the out of control furniture.

 

Under over under over. 

 

All the time she could hear Kagura’s sobbing. It sounded like heartbreak.

 

Through a gape in the tables Gisela could see Kagura suspended, sword keeping the furniture away from her face while creating a handy supply of shrapnel, adding to the fun.

 

Gisela opened her mouth. 

 

She didn’t know what to say.

 

There was nothing she could say.

 

Millianna was trying to say something but it just made everything spin faster, the cracking of wood so loud that it even drowned out the bussing of Gisela’s ears.

 

Then suddenly she was on the floor. 

 

Silence. 

  
  



	38. Chapter 38

“Well this is a fine mess you’ve made of my guildhall”.

 

It cut through the silence like one of Kagura’s sword strikes. 

 

“Guildmaster”, three voices chorused at once as Gisela wiped her streaming eyes on her sleeve.

 

Her hands and arms hurt from the impacts of something before she had used her clouds as a shield. 

 

_ Kagura.  _

 

In the centered on the room, surrounded by debris. Huddled up.

 

Sobbing.

 

Like nothing will ever be the same again.

 

Because it won’t be. 

 

Simon is dead. And now Gisela remembers Kagura’s fight with Erza. Too late.

 

Simon is dead.

 

There was nothing Gisela can do. 

 

Millianna had run forward and was cradling Kagura in the center of the wreckage. She was saying something to Kagura.

 

Gisela wanted to say something.

 

Because she knew what is what like when the world was gone. And gone before one ever realized it.

 

But she couldn’t. She couldn’t move from her spot.

 

Because there was nothing she could think of that would make Kagura feel better. No magic words. 

 

Nothing except platitudes.

 

Gisela had always hated platitudes. Had never been able to tell someone it would be okay when she knew it wasn’t.

 

Had never been able to be soothing. Never known when to get close and when to stay away.

 

She still didn’t. 

 

And Kagura wouldn’t be okay. Not for a long time. Because Simon, even if Kagura hadn’t known where he was, had been most of her world. 

 

Kagura hadn’t had a plan, not really. It had always been, “I need to find my brother”. With nothing after.

 

And Gisela hadn’t said anything. Hadn’t known what to say. 

 

And he was dead.

 

So Gisela stood there, a lump in her throat as she watched Millianna comfort Kagura.

 

Because she couldn’t.

 

_ It's not about me.  _ Gisela reminded herself as she looked around once again, for something, anything practical she could do.

 

“Do you mind explaining what is going on”. 

 

This time Gisela saw the source of the voice. A tall woman dressed in red and green. 

 

Gisela blinked as she looked up.

 

_ Was that an apple on her head band. _

 

It was. 

 

“Kagura found out her brother died”. It was just six words when Gisela said it.

 

Just six words and a world was gone. 

 

Just six words. 

 

Apple Woman didn’t seem to know how to reply to that which was good. Gisela didn’t either.

 

“Are you going to go talk to her. You two did come here together”. It was almost a question. Almost but not quite.

 

Gisela turned back, Kagura was still there, hunched up in a ball with Millianna beside her.

 

Saying something. 

It felt like there was lead in Gisela’s feet as she started walking forward, closer. Closer. 

 

“-am I supposed to do now. He’s dead and I’m alone”. 

 

Gisela could see Millianna’s had on Kagura’s back, rubbing circles.  

 

_ How much good did those actually do?  _ Gisela pushed that thought away as she got closer. 

 

What did she know. Maybe platitudes actually helped most people and Gisela was just too pessimistic for them.

 

Maybe there was something she could say. Something she could do that would help. 

 

Maybe there was.

 

Kagura was asking what she was supposed to do again. Gisela didn’t know that answer to that. Her way of coping with losing her world hadn’t been healthy.

 

She had enough distance now to know that.

 

More than enough distance to know that.

 

It was funny how cold she felt. How it was everything except Simon’s death that was affecting her. 

 

She should be grieving for him. Not for Kagura. 

 

And she still doesn’t know what to say. Because nothing will make this better and all time will do is make it less raw. 

 

Some wounds never heal. 

 

And Gisela is pretty sure this is one of them.

 

And there is nothing she can do.

 

And Kagura is still crying. 

 

“You can start by working here and paying off damages”. That was Apple Woman. Who Gisela vaguely remembered being called guild master.

 

And her guild has just been wrecked. 

 

“It's not her fault”. Gisela realized she had spoken as all eyes turned too her. “It was an accident”.

 

“But it was still her magic and the damage still needs to be repaired”

 

Kagura got up, leaning on her sword like it was a crutch. “I do need to pay for damages. When can I start”. 

 

“When we get everything fixed, I highly doubt you have enough money on hand to repair this”.

 

Gisela was enough of a shopkeeper to know that was true. They had enough for food and stuff, but the rewards were rarish and they weren’t rich.

 

She wanted to say something but her tongue was back to being lead again. 

 

Kagura was standing up through. That was a good thing.

 

Even if there was nothing Gisela could do people were helping and if they stayed here than people could keep helping Kagura. Could find more ways to get her to keep going. And that was good. That was so so good. 

 

Because Gisela knew what it was like to fall apart. Knew it in her bones and heart. In her mind and in all the little jokes she didn’t tell and all the secrets she never made. In the times she reached for something that would never be there again. In everything. And she was an awful friend and always messed up and knew all about breaking things.

 

Places, people, families. 

 

But not nearly enough about putting them back together.

 

She needed all the help that she could get with that. 

 

So Gisela just focused on how Apple Wom- Guild Master Soldato, was finding them a place to stay for the night. 

 

And on getting all the stuff that she could salvage from the pack that Kagura had been carrying.

 

It had exploded in the gravity wave. 

 

It was actually impressive that the wave had been as contained as it had been. For all the exploded wood and shrapnel people hadn’t been squished to bits by a gravity wave. 

 

And that was a good thing. 

 

But.

 

But.

 

Kagura was just so pale. She looked frail in a way Gisela had never seen as Millianna walked them to her house. 

 

Which was shaped like a cat. Part of Gisela wanted to giggle hysterically at the giant cat face waving a paw.

 

Only in Fiore would someone have a house like that. And only in a city with a mage guild would zoning laws allow it.

 

It was much easier to focus on the cats. All the cats. Part of her kept an eye on Kagura, hanging a foot back.

 

Knowing that she should do something but not knowing how. Hows were hard. And Kagura did not react at all to the outside of the house.

 

Or the even more unique inside. Not to the cat chairs or cat tables. Not to the cat patterned wall paper or the neon factor that Gisela knew Kagura of just a few hours ago, had it really only been that long? Would have been disgusted by. 

 

Instead she just clung to Millianna before curling up in one of the eye catching chairs. 

 

Gisela sat in another, feeling even more useless than normal.

 

Time seemed to stretch like putty. Kagura wasn’t saying anything. Gisela didn’t know what to say. Millianna had already said her piece.

 

So they sat in silence. Not quite an awkward silence. More of a numb one. All the emotions had been worn out but were still there. Just waiting to come up again and Gisela did not know what to do.

 

There was no magic fix for this. Even though this was Fairy Tail. 

 

She still remembered how bitter she  had been about the nobody died ending. How everything had just seemed to be good right after a war which they had tried so hard to avoid. Now she wished it was always like that.

 

_ But it's not like my life was ever as light as the manga anyways.  _ Gisela thought bitterly.  _ I would end up finding the only death in the story. It just is the way I am.  _

 

_ I don’t get Fairy tales.  _

 

_ And nor does Kagura.  _

 

Because even in this world where nobody really died her brother was dead. Her brother had died and even if Gisela did not remember how she should have. She should have known or realized or something. 

 

But she hadn’t.

 

The numbness continued as Millianna herded them both, like a cat herding humans, if it was a different situation than Gisela would have been reduciusly amused, into her guest room.

 

There was only one cat themed been in the room.

 

Gisela made sure that Kagura was laying down in that before she curled up on the kitty themed shaggy carpet with a kitty head pattern blanket. 

 

Than she tried to sleep. 

 

It didn’t come. All she could think about were Kagura’s cries and the way that she had done nothing.

 

She was supposed to be Kagura’s friend. She was supposed to know things about Fairy Tail.

 

She had read the manga. 

 

What good was it knowing about the world that one had been reborn into if one could even remember the important things like the death of siblings.

 

But she didn’t.

 

Why hadn’t she tried harder. 

 

In the middle of the night she heard Kagura slip out of bed. Gisela could feel the worry in her chest as she padded out of the room a few minutes after.

 

Gisela wasn’t sure that Kagura should be alone at the moment.

 

Being alone sucked.

 

But Kagura wasn’t alone. Gisela felt her fingers unclench as she saw Millianna slip over, almost silently.

 

The two of them were sitting next to each other on the grass, talking once again.

 

From what Gisela could hear Millianna was telling Kagura about Simon and the tower.  _ How did he die?  _

 

She didn’t remember that. Gisela hoped that Millianna had good memories of Simon as well.

 

She turned around when Kagura started to cry again. Somethings were private. 

 

Millianna could do a way better job of helping Kagura than Gisela could anyways. So it was a good thing that she had met someone who knew and from the looks of it liked Simon. 

 

Gisela remembered all too well Kagura’s face after they had talked to that one person who had hated him.

 

It was good that there were people who could tell her good stories as well. Maybe that would help her to get the closure that she needed. That she needed so much and that Gisela couldn’t give her.

 

Even so, lying on the floor wrapped in the borrowed blanket sleep was a long time in coming. Now that Gisela had seen Kagura being taken over she couldn’t help the nagging question in her own head.  _ What happens to us now? _

 

It was stupid, selfish thing to think when someone had just lost their entire world and there was no way that Gisela was actaully going to ask Kagura. So instead she lay there. Thinking.

 

But Gisela didn’t have an answer. Finally she dozed off.

 

There was a cat shaped patch of light on her face. Her back ached from the way she had twisted herself up.

 

Kagura still was not in the bed.

 

Gisela felt her pulse start to race as she realized that.  _ She’s with Millianna. It's going to be fine. It's going to be fine,  _ Gisela repeated to herself, a mantra. 

 

_ All you need to do is find her. Get up and go. _

 

Sometimes it was just easier to give her body explicit instructions on a conscious level.  

 

Something pricked her.

 

Gisela glanced down at her hands. It the bright light of the sun she could see a smattering of splinters.

 

She hadn’t even noticed them the day before. 

 

Carefully nuding the door open with her elbow Gisela followed the sound of voices. Millianna and Kagura were still talking.

 

_ At least they came inside?  _ Gisela thought wryly, shooing away the guilt she felt about how she had been sleeping and had come to ask for tweezers. 

 

Maybe she could just do it by hand? They weren’t the smallest splinters that Gisela had ever had. She could probably get a grip on them with only a little extra damage. 

 

Then they were both looking at her. 

 

“Morning”.  She waved awkwardly. It was awful. Everything was awful. Why had she led with that. Did she have any tact.

 

“Your hands”. That was Millianna. She darted out. It was just her and Kagura. 

 

Just Kagura and her and the gaping sea of awkwardness that had just opened up between them. 

 

And it was kind of Gisela’s job to navigate across it this time.

 

“You look awful”.  _ Great idea. Lead with that. That is going to make everything work just fine. _

 

“He’s just dead”, Kagura said hollowly, like she was still hoping someone would disprove her. “And I didn’t know. I guess I thought that if something had happened I would have known for some reason. But he’s dead”.

 

“I’m sorry”. It didn’t help. Gisela knew that. A sorry was nothing but letters formed into words and volcalized. There was almost nothing as useless as a sorry.  

 

But it was all she could say. 

 

“I think we should help pay for the damages. And Millianna is going to tell me more about him”, Kagura stopped for a second, gathering her words, “and I want to know more. She only told me a bit about the Tower and the people she had been with. I want to know more about them. I want to know more about him and Millianna is willing to tell me. It is just going to take time”.

 

“And after that”.

 

“One day at a time, I think. For me”. 

 

“Are you okay”, Kagura took a breath, “physically”, Gisela hastened to add. “I know you are not okay and that's okay. It's hard to be okay when everything falls apart on you. You just keep thinking how long ago things were normal and how much you want to yell at your past self and how easy it would be to fix things if you could only go back”. 

 

“Was it like this for you”, Kagura asked hesitantly. “When I first met you on the boat. Was it like this for you?”.

 

That was a question.  _ Not really, I deserved it. I had made my fate with my own actions and it was my fault things got so bad I had to leave. You never did anything but live.  _ That wouldn’t help.

 

Gisela pulled out a chair and sat down to buy time. “I felt like glass on that boat. Floating glass. Like nothing was real but everything hurt and nothing would ever be okay again because everything I had was gone and if only I had done better. Is that what it like for you?”. And now she was back to being insensitive. Wonderful.

 

“It just feels pointless. I tried so hard. So hard. I was going to find him and we were going to be happy. I keep thinking of all the things I wanted to say. I wanted to show him. Now I can’t. I just don’t know why”. It was like she was begging at the end. Gisela wished she had a better answer than some jerkass artist in another world made a choice for drama and pain and now you have to deal with it and I should have warned you but forgot because he was such a minor character that it didn’t feel relevant to me. 

 

That was a shitty answer.

 

Also totally unbelievable. 

 

But mainly it was just shitty and probably less helpful than a sorry. “Do you want a hug?”. Maybe. Hugs could be nice sometimes. 

 

“Not right now. Besides. Splinters”.

 

“Yeah”.

 

That killed the conversation again. There really was no nice way to approach why Gisela had the splinters in her hands that she did. 

 

“I think I could do something”. Kagura offered after a moment.

 

“Do something?”. What was there to possibly do?

 

“With your hands. Just make the wood lift. I can do that”.

 

Gisela glanced down at her hands. There was the starting of redness around some of the larger bits but mainly the skin had healed over the wood. 

 

It would hurt. 

 

But Kagura was thinking about something and reaching out. And that was good. Gisela wanted Kagura to keep doing that.

 

“Go for it”.

 

Gisela  bit her tongue against the sharp pain as pinpricks of blood weld up on her hands, bloodstained wood lifted up into the air.

 

“I think that's it, everything else feels different”. 

 

_ Not the time of ask questions about magic.  _ Gisela reminded herself as she looked away from her hands. “Thanks”.

 

Maybe if she ignored them they would hurt less.

 

“And I just got the tweezers. See how kitty cute they are”. They had cat heads on top of them.

 

Gisela was completely unsurprised. 

 

“Sorry”. This was the second time she had said sorry today. Funny how the same word could be used for death or tweezers and feel completely pointless both times. 

 

Luckily Millianna just huffed before showing her over to the sink. “Thanks”, Gisela said quietly, keeping an eye of Kagura out of the corner of her eye.

 

“For what?”.

 

“Looking after Kagura. I didn’t know what to do at all but I think you did  something that helped”.

 

Millianna just smiled slightly sadly as she turned the water on, keeping Gisela’s blood off of the appliances. “Simon was good. I miss him. He would have wanted me to keep and eye on his little sister. He loved her you know, he would talk about when he would see her again. Kagura and Erza. He loved them both so much”. 

 

“Oh”.

 

There wasn’t much more Gisela could say to that even if the lump that had formed in her throat disappeared. 

 

Sometimes there just wasn’t a happy ending. This was one of those times.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact. Gisela being awful at comforting people is very true to me. I just can't do it well, everything always sounds so hollow. Poor Gisela, she gets all my problems then some~


End file.
